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 game 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 for Toddler Games for 2+ Year Olds show that the content is directed to children. It would seem that the app helps children build a strong cognitive foundation. The music and sounds such as the marches and ambient noises in the game invoke sensory play which elevates the experience as well as boosting the child’s skills. The activities in the game have different sections of play area and when clicked you find yourself in either a farm to match the colors of the vegetables to the box, or a train station to pick up passengers. The description in the “about this game" section of the Play Store states “Educational toddler games for pre kindergarten kids.” It features “shape, puzzle, 123, memory, patterns, and etc.” The subject matter would suggest that this game appeals to children.
This app has an Everyone E rating in the Google Play store and rating of 4+ made for 0-5 in the Apple store iOS. There is evidence of children using the app based on some of the user reviews in the Google Play Store. One review from April of 2019 mentioned “...3y.o. Loves this, has been playing since he was 2 ½ and never tires of it." It was from a parent who specified the age. Another review from December of 2022 said, “Absolutely by far the best game for a 2 year old. Fun, educational and uncomplicated to navigate.”
Privacy:
The developer’s privacy policy was last updated in May of 2022. The policy states, “are designed for the use of children. " There is no age gate or parental control.
Screenshots of Toddler Games for 2+ Year Olds:
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.
