There was a time when parents would be wary of letting their kids use electronics, but today pre-loading your tablet or phone with some games and apps and handing it to your kid your seems like a general way to keep them distracted.
Of course, not all the apps available on App Stores are exactly family-friendly, so Google is today announcing a new Designed for Families program to let developers label their app as appropriate for all ages.
The program is opt-in, so not every app-maker has to go through the additional review, but the “family-friendly” designations will eventually make their way to the Google Play Store.
Google isn’t revealing all the requirements an app needs to fulfill to achieve family-friendly status just yet, but they should score at least an “Everyone” or “Everyone 10+” on Google Play’s new ESRB-based rating system, as well as comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection rule.
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The labels could make it a lot easier for parents to find apps that they feel comfortable letting their kids use. It follows the aforementioned implementation of an app rating system, as well as the recent introduction of YouTube Kids.
➤ Helping developers connect with families on Google Play [Android Developers Blog]
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