Following my first ‘Frame and Shame’ video (see the bottom of this page), I reported the offending app to the Google Play store. I knew, from previous experience how time-consuming the process was so I decided to document all the steps us parents have to go through to protect our children.
I sometimes wonder if it’s quicker for app developers to publish inappropriate apps than it is for parents to flag them!
Step 1: Find the app on Google Play
I wanted to preserve my anonymity so I used an incognito window. After locating the app, it was easy to spot the link to flag it. So far, so good…
Step 2: REPORT THE VIOLATION
After clicking the app, I looked for the reporting option closest to what I wanted. ‘Flag apps, games, or music as inappropriate,’ followed by the ‘Apps & Games’ link looked promising.
The next screen, rather oddly, included some redundant instructions for reporting via the Google Play store (ummm – I’ve already got that far – that’s why I’m on this page!) but also had a more useful link to ‘fill out the inappropriate apps form.’
Step 3: ADD DETAILS
You will see a number of radio buttons for selecting the specific issue with the app. Although there were options for sexual content, graphic violence and hateful and abusive content, I felt that this wasn’t really the issue since my complaint was specifically about the game’s PEGI rating (if it was a PEGI-16 I would have no issue with it). Therefore, I chose the ‘other objection’ option.
Below that is a radio button asking whether the app is still available and a place to copy and paste the link. Again, this seemed redundant since I had linked to the complaint form directly from the app page – why can’t this information be pre-populated?
You then have to enter your email address. Presumably this is so that Google can update you on the progress of the complaint but I think this should be optional.
I definitely think adding your full name should be optional but they ask for that in a required field as well.
Bang goes my anonymity!
Not only is this potentially against GDPR regulations (collecting data which is unnecessary and not providing a clear way to have that data removed) but surely we want to encourage people to report inappropriate apps and get them removed ASAP – not add unnecessary steps to the process.
After hitting submit, Google will display a thank you message.
Step 4: THE EMAIL OBSTACLE – AND HOW TO CLEAR IT
You should receive an email from Google shortly afterwards.
I suspect this is an automatically generated email (due to the speed of reply and the content) and, at the risk of coming across as cynical, it seems designed to deter reports. Not only did it ask for exactly the same information as the online form (whether the app was still live and the limk to it) but it also asked me to add more detail about which exact policy the app was contravening.
Enough Google. Having done NICAM’s job for them I’m not about to do yours too! Here is the formidable Google email and my curt reply. I suggest you do the same if you ever report an app because the app was gone the next day!
RESULT!
Despite no further communication from Google, the offending app was gone the next morning.
So no more primary children will be accessing the app below and hopefully the developer will take more care in rating their next app next time.
Sadly, it does feel I’m merely cutting another head off a hydra but until Margot James MP, Theresa May and the PEGI administrators (particularly Dutch firm NICAM, in whose court these apps fall) start taking things more seriously, there will be plenty more dodgy apps waiting for our primary age children, lulled by green PEGI ratings, to stumble across.
#reformPEGI
Main Image Copyright: putilich / 123RF Stock Photo