Pixalate's COPPA Manual Reviews: ‘Pokemon TCG Pocket’

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 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).

Manually reviewed in this post

Pokémon TCG Pocket - Card Game (Google Play Store)
Pokémon TCG Pocket (Apple App Store)

The 10 COPPA Rule factors

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.

Reviewed by: Emma Burdis

Manual Review: Pokemon TCG Pocket

Likely audience after manual review

Developer: The Pokémon Company (Google Play Store)
Developer: The Pokemon Company (Apple App Store)
Google Bundle ID: jp.pokemon.pokemontcgp
Apple Bundle ID: 6479970832
Privacy Policy
Emma’s Take: A compelling app which will keep Pokémon fans of all ages coming back for more.

COPPA factors used to determine audience

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Pokémon is a well-known game which has been popular with both adults and children for many years. As well as being a trading card game, there are anime cartoons which are watched by all ages and is a massive merchandising franchise. Many of these items are aimed at children, such as clothes and soft toys.

The TCG app is used for collecting Pokémon trading cards and after reaching a certain level within the game, it is possible to battle against other users online. The gameplay in this app is simplified compared to playing in real life, so the rules are easier to learn and the battles are much shorter to complete. Winning the battles leads to levelling up and being able to unlock more booster packs.

Opening booster packs, recreate the thrill of opening packs in real life, without the expense. The user draws their finger across the top of the pack to open it, then swipes through the cards contained within. Cards are added to the card dex, similar to collecting stickers into a numbered album. The draw to complete the dex is a strong motivation to keep using the app.

There is also a social aspect to the app. Community Showcases allow players to show off their best cards. These can be interacted with by pressing and holding, displaying interesting animations of the Pokémon on the card. The app also allows users to trade cards with their friends, which can be searched for by using their Player ID.

The app has several achievements to work towards, as well as daily gifts which can be claimed for using the app. Other items can be purchased using item tokens or Poké Gold. The notes in the shop section advise minors that they should always get permission from a parent or guardian to make a purchase.

Privacy:

The Pokémon privacy policy has a section specifically addressing the collection of information from children. It states that “if a user has indicated that they are a child when trying to use our App, we will direct the child to a different experience within our App that lets the child use our services much like any other user but that does not allow any additional information (as defined under applicable laws, such as COPPA) to be collected.”

Screenshots of Pokemon TCG Pocket

About Pixalate’s Trust & Safety Advisory Board

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.