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 game which is available from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. 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.
PK XD is a virtual world where users can create their avatars, customize their own houses, and explore the world around them. Players can interact with each other with a kid-safe chat, as well as explore the variety of houses within the virtual world. There are a variety of places to explore and items to interact with. That being said, this virtual world is pretty small compared to games like Roblox or Minecraft, and older kids and teens may feel limited in what they can do compared to similar virtual world games.
The world is created with kids in mind, with a wide variety of customizable items that appeal to a wide range of interests. Avatars can be created in a range of styles, from more realistic options to bright green skin with a robot suit and rocket pack. The world itself is designed to straddle the line between appealing to younger children and teens with many different types of places to visit, including an arcade and even a high school.
There is an opportunity to chat with others in the world but users must pick from the pre-approved selection of phrases and emojis. There is a wide range to choose from, and many of the phrases are geared more towards children and teens. Avatars can say things like, “Like my post, if you are going to my party!” or “Let’s wear the same type of clothes.” This allows the users to communicate with each other while simultaneously keeping children safe from inappropriate language, conversation topics, or online predators.
Techno music plays in the background and numerous sound effects accompany the different actions and movements of the avatar, including running and jumping. Different chat items can also make different noises, including giggling. Some of the sound effects are more targeted to kids, such as the farting noises that accompany the poop emoji.
Coins and gems are the currency of the game. These can be earned by completing various daily tasks, playing minigames, and simply discovering them while actively engaging in the world. Earned coins and gems can be used to purchase a variety of items within the game. Anything from clothing to home items to pets can be purchased. Players can even purchase their robot!
Regular gameplay within PK XD is generally ad-free. However, there is the option of viewing video ads to earn a mystery reward (game items, gems, or coins) in the store. These video ads appear to primarily be for other mixed audience apps.
The home screen also contains an ad in the top left corner for other apps by Afterverse Games.
This app is rated 9+ in the Apple App Store for “Infrequent/Mild Profanity or Crude Humor,” Everyone 10+ in the US Google Play Store for “Crude Humor,” and PEGI 3 in the European App Stores. While the app description doesn’t specifically mention kids, some Google searching does reveal that PK stands for Play Kids, implying that this virtual world was created for kids. The mention of “form[ing] a community where all are welcome, and security is paramount” and “Unleash your inner creativity and design your avatar as a human, a zombie, or even a mystical unicorn,” hint at an app designed with kids in mind.
Reviews also indicate that kids and teens are the primary audience of the app. The inclusion of teens as players of PK XD pushes this app into the mixed audience category.
Privacy
According to the privacy policy, which was last updated on March 14, 2024, Afterverse does collect IP addresses and geolocation information, login information, payment information, email addresses, game-created nicknames, analytics and performance data, and advertising IDs. They indicate that “Afterverse commits to collecting and processing the Personal Data of children and adolescents according to applicable legislation and, whenever necessary, to do so upon the specific consent of the respective parent, guardian, or legal representative, for the uses and purposes provided in this Policy.” They also indicate that they do not sell any personal information to third parties, but do share some data with their partners and affiliates.
Find Pixalate's full catalogue of reviews in our CTV and Mobile App Review Page
Screenshots of PK XD: Fun, friends & games
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.
