COPPA data dictionary | Pixalate Docs

These data points appear in the COPPA section of the Media Ratings Terminal (MRT), in Analytics compliance reports and in the coppa object of the Enrichment API. Which ones you can see depends on your Pixalate subscription.

For why an app got a particular result, see COPPA reason codes.

Mobile apps

Field	API field	Definition	Values
COPPA Audience	`coppa.coppaAudience`	The likely intended audience of the app, assessed according to Pixalate’s methodology from factors such as app store categories, content ratings and keywords.	Likely child-directed (including mixed audience), or likely general audience
COPPA Audience reason code	`coppa.coppaAudienceReason`	The specific signals considered in the audience assessment.	”This app is likely directed to children (including mixed audience) because…”
Content rating	`coppa.contentRating`	For Apple, the app’s App Store age rating. For Google, the content rating shown in the Google Play Store. Google states that ratings are the responsibility of the app developers and the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC).	See age ratings
Store category	`coppa.storeCategory`	The app’s categories in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. An app can have more than one.	”Application”, “Education”; “Entertainment”; “Games”, “Casual”
Store subcategory	`coppa.storeSubCategory`	The app’s subcategories in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. An app can have more than one.	”Music”; “Family Ages 9 & Up”; “Sports”
Google Teacher Approved	`coppa.isApprovedByTeacher`	Whether the app is in Google Play’s Teacher Approved program, in which teachers and other specialists evaluate apps for age and content appropriateness.	Yes or no
Teacher-approved age group	`coppa.ageGroupApprovedByTeacher`	The recommended age group as approved by teachers. API only.	Text
COPPA Risk Rating	`coppa.coppaViolationRisk`	Pixalate’s rating of the app’s potential COPPA risk, based on multiple signals.	Low, medium, high or critical. See risk ratings
COPPA Risk Rating reason code	`coppa.coppaViolationRiskReason`	The specific signals considered in the risk rating.	”The COPPA risk is high because the app…”
Privacy policy detected	`coppa.privacyPolicyDetected`	Whether the app has a privacy policy. Pixalate checks the information in the app stores and also crawls developer websites for privacy policies.	Yes or no
Sensitive permissions	`coppa.sensitivePermissions`	Whether the app has device permissions, such as camera, microphone or contacts, that allow collection of sensitive personal information. See sensitive permissions.	Yes or no
Transmits residential IP	`coppa.transmitsResidentialIP`	Whether traffic associated with the app passes the end user’s IP address through the advertising pipeline, which can expose granular information about the user’s location.	Yes or no
Passes location	`coppa.passesLocation`	Whether traffic associated with the app passes the end user’s GPS coordinates through the advertising pipeline, which exposes granular information about the user’s location.	Yes or no
Permission	`coppa.permissions[].name`	The device permissions granted to the app, including those considered sensitive for COPPA.	Permission name, for example `RECORD_AUDIO`
Description	`coppa.permissions[].description`	A description of the permission.	For example, “Allows an application to record audio.”

App store categories

Pixalate uses app store categories, not IAB categories, to assess an app’s likely intended audience. IAB categories are available as a separate filter in the MRT and in Analytics reports.

Google Play Store

Google Play organizes apps into genres including “Application”, “Games” and “Family”. Developers assign a category and can add keys that indicate the app’s content or purpose.

Application categories: Auto & Vehicles, Beauty, Books & Reference, Business, Comics, Communication, Dating, Education, Entertainment, Events, Finance, Food & Drink, Health & Fitness, House & Home, Lifestyle, Maps & Navigation, Medical, Music & Audio, News & Magazines, Parenting, Personalization, Photography, Productivity, Shopping, Social, Sports, Tools, Travel & Local, Video Players & Editors, Weather, Libraries & Demo. Pixalate’s methodology checks every app in Education and Entertainment for further signs that it’s child-directed: child-related keywords in the description, or family subcategories.
Games categories: Arcade, Puzzle, Cards, Casual, Racing, Sport Games, Action, Adventure, Board, Casino, Educational, Music Games, Role Playing, Simulation, Strategy, Trivia, Word Games. Pixalate’s methodology checks every app in Games for the same signals.
Family key: developers can mark an application or game as intended for family use, with an age range. Pixalate considers every app with the Family key as likely child-directed. Family values: Family All Ages, Family Ages 5 & Under, Family Ages 6-8, Family Ages 9 & Up, Family Action, Family Brain Games, Family Create, Family Education, Family Music & Video, Family Pretend Play.

A game without the Family key can still be assessed as likely child-directed if its description contains child-related keywords.

How the MRT shows Google Play categories and subcategories:

Google Play path	Category	Subcategory
Application → Education → Family: Family Ages 6-8	”Application”, “Family"	"Education”, “Family Ages 6-8”
Games → Casual → Family: Family Music & Video	”Games”, “Family"	"Casual”, “Family Music & Video”
Games → Role Playing (no Family key)	“Games"	"Role Playing”

Apple App Store

Pixalate’s methodology treats the Kids category and the Family subcategory as signs that an app is likely child-directed. It also checks apps in the Games and Entertainment categories or subcategories for further signals, such as content ratings and child-related keywords.

Age ratings

These content ratings are the ones that apply in Pixalate’s COPPA methodology.

Platform	Age ratings
Android (Google Play content ratings)	North and South America (ESRB): Everyone, Everyone 10+ Europe and Middle East (PEGI): PEGI 3, PEGI 7 Germany (USK): All ages, Ages 6+ Australia (ACB): General, Parental Guidance Brazil (ClassInd): All ages, Rated 10+ South Korea (GRAC): Rated for 3+, Rated for 7+
iOS (App Store age ratings)	4+, 9+

Sensitive permissions

These device permissions count as sensitive in Pixalate’s COPPA methodology.

Platform	Permission	Description
Android	`CAMERA`	Allows the app to take video.
Android	`CALL_PHONE`	Allows the app to make phone calls.
Android	`ADD_VOICEMAIL`	Allows the app to access voicemail.
Android	`READ_CALENDAR`	Allows the app to access your calendar and its data.
Android	`READ_CALL_LOG`	Allows the app to access your call logs.
Android	`READ_CONTACTS`	Allows the app to access your contacts and the personal information in them.
Android	`ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION`	Allows the app to access GPS coordinates.
Android	`ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION`	Allows the app to access your location while it runs in the background.
Android	`ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION`	Allows the app to access an approximate location.
Android	`READ_PHONE_NUMBERS`	Allows read access to the device’s phone number.
Android	`READ_PHONE_STATE`	Allows read-only access to phone state, including the device’s phone number and current cellular network information.
Android	`READ_SMS`	Allows the app to read SMS messages.
Android	`READ_VOICEMAIL`	Allows the app to read voicemails in the system.
iOS	`NSCameraUsageDescription`	Allows the app to take video.
iOS	`NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription`	Allows the app to access an approximate location.
iOS	`NSLocationAlwaysUsageDescription`	Allows the app to access location at all times.
iOS	`NSMicrophoneUsageDescription`	Allows the app to access the device’s microphone.
iOS	`NSCalendarsUsageDescription`	Allows the app to access your calendar and its data.

CTV apps

CTV COPPA data covers apps in the Roku and Amazon Fire TV app stores.

Field	API field	Definition	Values
COPPA Audience	`coppa.coppaAudience`	The likely intended audience of the app, assessed according to Pixalate’s methodology from factors such as app store categories, content ratings and keywords.	Likely child-directed (including mixed audience), or likely general audience
COPPA Audience reason code	`coppa.coppaAudienceReason`	The specific signals considered in the audience assessment.	”This app is likely directed to children (including mixed audience)…”
Manually reviewed	`coppa.isReviewedManually`	Whether educators on Pixalate’s Trust and Safety Advisory Board have evaluated the app for child-directedness using the factors in the COPPA Rule. API only.	True or false
Store categories	`coppa.Categories`	The app’s categories in the Roku and Amazon app stores.	For example: Education, Health & Fitness, Kids, Lifestyle, Movies & TV, Music & Audio, News, Religious, Screensavers
Age rating	`coppa.parentalHint`	The recommended age rating from Amazon’s app store, or the Parental Hint from the Roku store.	Roku: Content Not Rated, Content Rated, All Ages, Adult Fire TV: Guidance Suggested, All Ages, Adult, Mature
COPPA Risk Rating	`coppa.coppaViolationRisk`	Pixalate’s rating of the app’s potential COPPA risk, based on multiple signals.	Low, medium, high or critical. See risk ratings
COPPA Risk Rating reason code	`coppa.coppaViolationRiskReason`	The specific signals considered in the risk rating.	”The COPPA risk is high because the app…”
Privacy policy detected	`coppa.privacyPolicyDetected`	Whether the app has a privacy policy. Pixalate checks the information in the app stores and also crawls developer websites for privacy policies.	Yes or no
Transmits residential IP	`coppa.transmitsResidentialIP`	Whether traffic associated with the app passes the end user’s IP address through the advertising pipeline, which can expose granular information about the user’s location.	Yes or no
Passes location	`coppa.passesLocation`	Whether traffic associated with the app passes the end user’s GPS coordinates through the advertising pipeline, which exposes granular information about the user’s location.	Yes or no

CTV apps don’t have a sensitive permissions field.

Methodology

For the full methodology, see Pixalate’s COPPA methodology for mobile apps and COPPA methodology for CTV apps.

Questions? Contact support@pixalate.com.

Disclaimer

Pixalate’s COPPA Compliance Tools render opinions that Pixalate believes may be useful to our clients and others in the digital media industry. It is important to note, however, that the mere fact that an app appears to be directed to children (e.g., data subjects under 13 years of age, as defined by the COPPA Rule) does not mean that any such app, or its operator, is failing to comply with the COPPA Rule. Further, with respect to apps that appear to be child-directed and have characteristics that, in Pixalate’s opinion, may trigger related privacy obligations and/or risk, such assertions reflect Pixalate’s opinions (i.e., they are neither facts nor guarantees); and, although Pixalate’s methodologies used to render such opinions are derived from a combination of automated processing coupled with significant human intervention, no assurances can be – or are – given by Pixalate with respect to the accuracy of any such opinions.