For parents
Our kids play this too. Here is exactly what is in it.
We are two parents making a game our own children play, so this page is the one we would want to read. It covers what Kids Mode switches off and what is still there when it is off.
Kids Mode
One switch, and the parts you would worry about go away.
A parent turns Kids Mode on and it stays on. It is not a timer or a nag screen, it changes what the game contains. Ads are the one thing it does not remove, because they are what keeps the game free. What it does is hold them to age-appropriate content and stop them being targeted.
- Purchases
- Off completely
- Leaderboard
- Hidden
- Player names
- Not used
- Ads
- Still shown, but age-appropriate and never targeted
- Chat or messaging
- Does not exist anywhere in the game
With Kids Mode off
What an older player sees.
We would rather tell you this plainly than let you find it out. This is a commercial game, and outside Kids Mode it behaves like one.
Ads
The game is free and supported by ads. Anyone who tells us they are under 13 only ever sees non-personalised ads, which means the ad is chosen by where it appears rather than by anything about the person seeing it. Older players see ordinary ads, and $4.99 removes them permanently for anyone.
Purchases
Removing ads costs $4.99 once and is permanent. There are also optional boosters and extra lives. None of it is needed to play, and all of it goes through the normal App Store or Google Play flow.
The leaderboard
Players can compare scores. Ranked runs are a separate mode where nothing is purchasable, so a high score cannot be bought.
Other players
There is no chat, no messaging and no way for one player to send anything to another. That is true in every mode, not just Kids Mode.
Stopping accidental spending
Whatever games your children play, ours included, both app stores let you require a password or Face ID for every single purchase. On iOS it is under Screen Time, then Content & Privacy Restrictions. On Android it is in the Google Play settings under Authentication. It takes a minute and it applies everywhere.
Common questions
Is there a version for younger players?
Yes. Kids Mode turns off purchases and the leaderboard, and there are no names or messages of any kind inside it. Ads still appear, because they are what keeps the game free, but they are limited to age-appropriate content. A parent turns Kids Mode on and it stays on.
What ads will my child see?
Age-appropriate ones, and never targeted. BlockZap asks for an age on first run, and for anyone under 13 we switch off interest-based advertising entirely and cap ad content at the general-audience rating. That means the ad is chosen by where it is shown rather than by anything about the person seeing it.
Can other players contact my child?
There is no chat or messaging in BlockZap, and no way for one player to send anything to another. In Kids Mode the leaderboard and player names are switched off entirely.
Can my child spend money by accident?
Not in Kids Mode, where purchases are switched off completely. Outside it, purchases go through the normal App Store and Google Play flow, and both let you require a password or Face ID for every purchase. We would encourage you to turn that on whatever games your children play.
Ask us anything
If something here is unclear, or you want to know about a part of the game we have not covered, email hello@yippeestudio.com. You will get a reply from one of the two people who made it. You can also tell us what to build next.