Google introduces Teacher-approved badges for kid-friendly apps

Analysing its data from Android’s Digital Wellbeing, Google has discovered an issue where parents found it difficult to discover apps for their kids that would help them grow as a child. To help these parents, Google has released a new badge called “Teacher approved” that assures a quality standard for kid-friendly apps on the Play Store.

Google has assembled a team of teachers, led by Joe Blatt (Harvard Graduate School of Education) and Dr. Sandra Calvert (Georgetown University) to review and rate apps for kids to check whether they meet certain criteria. These criteria include age-appropriateness, quality of experience, enrichment, and delight.

Once an app for kids is approved, parents will see a “Teacher-Approved” badge in its description. Along with the badge, Google may also add a paragraph in app listing to explain its rating. Parents can easily browse for these apps in the “Kids” category tab in the Play Store. Google is rolling out the new Kids tab with “Teacher approved” apps today in the US with a wider rollout to more countries in the next few months.

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