Welcome to Pixalate’s CTV & Mobile App Manual Reviews According to COPPA, a series containing the detailed factors the Trust & Safety Advisory Board educators used to assess an app’s child-directedness.
The educators manually review thousands of mobile apps available in the Google Play & Apple App Stores as well as connected TV (CTV) apps from the Roku Channel Store and Amazon Fire TV App Store using the COPPA Rule factors shown below & make those results available to the public at ratings.pixalate.com.
This post takes a look at a popular mobile app (1 million+ downloads) from the Google Play and Apple App Stores. Our reviewer discusses how the subjective factors set forth in the COPPA Rule apply to the app and factor into the reviewer's determination as to whether the app is child-directed or general audience (i.e., it is not targeting children).
The teacher will indicate the factors they relied upon in their assessment using the 10 factors shown below that reflect the 10 child-directed factors in the COPPA Rule.
The gameplay screenshots of Numberzilla: Number Match Game visual content and animation have cartoon-style graphics with adorable mascots that guide players through the rules as well as help keep track of players' outcomes and accomplishments. The animation is flashy and fun with colorful expressions. The language has keywords in this game such as, ”childhood and cute.” These factors help determine that the app is child-directed with a mixed audience. Once the game is loaded, players choose between four game modes. It also has daily challenges and gifts but there is a paid premium access option. The gameplay is effortless to learn. Players choose two numbers that are equal to the sum of 10 and similar numbers that are next to each other. It can be challenging because players have to see which ones they are in the various numbers that are on the screen. The more numbers on the screen the more difficult it can get. Numberzilla is a game that will improve focus and pass the time.
There are numerous ads throughout the app. The ads shown in between levels are child-directed to a mixed audience such as jigsaw puzzle, parking jam 3D, and royal match. At times there are breaks in between the game that shows a 2 or 3-second commercial clip with advertisements such as a book called, “Not Rejected Just Unwanted.”
The objective is to advance and cross out all the numbers and empty the board.
The game is rated E for Everyone in the Google play store and 4+ in the Apple store. There is no age gate.
Privacy:
The developer’s privacy policy states, “we do not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from or direct or target interest based advertising to anyone under the age of 16.”
Screenshots of Numberzilla: Number Match Game
Pixalate’s Trust and Safety Advisory Board was created to bring in individuals with experience using child-directed apps in the classroom to review and assess which apps are child-directed. This manual review process serves to quality check Pixalate’s automated review process. See our full methodology for more information.
Disclaimer
This blog post published by Pixalate is available for informational purposes only and is not considered legal advice. By viewing this blog post, the reader understands and agrees that there is no attorney-client relationship between the reader and the blog publisher. The blog should not be used as a substitute for legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in the applicable jurisdiction(s), and readers are urged to consult their own legal counsel on any specific legal questions concerning any specific situation. The content of this blog post reflects Pixalate's opinions with respect to factors that Pixalate believes may be useful to the digital media industry. Pixalate's opinions are just that, opinions, which means that they are neither facts nor guarantees; and this blog post is not intended to impugn the standing or reputation of any entity, person or app, but instead, to report findings pertaining to mobile and Connected TV (CTV) apps.
