—A company wants to make sure Android is a safe environment for kids—
Android has a competent set of parental controls that keeps improving daily. But kids only need a safe operating system in their part-time. A great selection of apps should also ensure that children are not exposed to problematic content or advertisements. Google offers just that through its Kids section in the Play Store, which teachers approve. Google is introducing new policies and expanding the program so developers can create these standards more easily.
The company explains in a blog post that it is expanding Teacher Approved to make it easier for developers to develop. As a result, the company is combining the policies from Teacher Approved and the policies from Google Play’s Families section. However, future versions of the Teacher Approved section should automatically qualify for screening once they meet the latter requirements.
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Among the factors rated by Google experts are age-appropriateness, quality of experience, enrichment, and delight. They will also add details on which sections, in particular, an app excels in to help you better understand why an app was added to the Teachers Approved list. The new badge will show that apps that adhere to the family policy rules are “committed to following the Play Families Policy” in the coming weeks.
Similarly, Google is changing its advertisement policy for kids’ apps. Due to changes, apps will have to implement the Families Self-Certified Ads SDK Program by next year. In particular, Google requires advertising SDKs to make clear which version of their SDKs is suitable for child-safe apps.
The Teacher Approved program from Google was launched in 2020. After passing the program, apps become part of the Kids section of the Play Store, which has become a curated list of quality apps. The new changes will make it easier for app developers to develop their products to meet the combined standards, leading to further growth for the Kids section.