Charter Participants

Goal Assign content ratings for mobile applications that establish a consistent set of consumer tools across participating storefronts and game platforms

Key Factors Scalability to handle high volume of apps

Flexibility to be individually integrated with storefronts’ app submission processes (implementation may vary)

Low “friction” for developer – integrated into onboarding process

No cost to developer

Quick delivery of rating assignments to avoid delays to developer

Interoperability with storefronts’ parental controls and filters

Ability to appeal, monitor and enforce

Certification Code

d214m-oxr3k3-

mlm386-kzqi-

74qu3-fd9x0ss

During the onboarding process developers with previously-rated apps provide a storefront with their app’s existing rating certificate; OR

The submitter enters a unique code received when the app was assigned its rating.

Unrated apps are directed to the mobile application ratings tool.

Once the rating process is initiated, the submitter begins to complete the content questionnaire.

NEXT

For each category where “Yes” is selected the form may ask additional questions to ascertain the nature and intensity of that content.

Help files aid the developer in determining how content should be assessed.

Certain categories of content, such as violence or sexual content, include more specific questions about frequency, duration and/or contextual factors (e.g., perspective, setting, realism).

Information is also obtained about certain elements about which parents are concerned, including:

Sharing of personal information

Display of user’s location

User-generated content

This information may be used to:

Assign/Display a descriptor

Map to a filter

Flag for further internal review by storefronts

Trigger an opt-in/opt-out notice once downloaded

Provide industry-wide data on the adoption of these elements

Apps with minimum age requirements in their Terms of Service will have their rating mapped to that age range (i.e., if user must be 13 years old, the rating will be Teen).

Apps whose requirement is age 18+ must further specify the reason for the requirement.

If the 18+ age requirement is due ONLY to the enabling of commercial transactions, then the app will be rated based on its content and other elements including the availability of in-app filters; otherwise it will typically be rated Adults Only.

When all questions are answered, a rating is displayed along with a summary of all of the app’s content and other elements indicated by the submitter, who can then:

accept the rating as final;

appeal it to the ESRB; or

revise their responses if they believe they have overlooked anything or answered a question incorrectly.

Violence

Suggestive Themes

Rating Certificate

Mobile App

ESRB Rating:

Once confirmed, the submitter receives an e-mail with a PDF of the rating certificate and the app’s unique rating certification code – and the developer is then returned to the storefront’s onboarding process to complete their submission.

Violence

Suggestive

Themes

Certification Code

d214m-oxr3k3-mlm386-

kzqi-74qu3-fd9x0ss

Ratings are adjusted in any instance where it is determined that the rating assigned is not consistent with the app’s content, and revised ratings are immediately communicated to the respective storefront(s) so that they may update the rating information being displayed.

ESRB promptly

reviews appeals as well as consumer concerns. A selection of popular and other

apps is also tested to ensure the ratings assigned are appropriate and disclosure is complete.

AGE RATING CATEGORIES

Once an app is published with a rating to a participating storefront, the storefront will display its rating prior to download and may elect to display descriptors disclosing the nature of the content and other elements in the app as well.

Some storefronts may also offer customers the ability to filter based on the ratings, allowing parents to block certain apps, content and/or other elements. Complete rating information (age ratings, content descriptors, other elements) will be searchable by the public at esrb.org and ctia.org.