01. Age fit
Definition. Vocabulary, pacing, narrative complexity matched to an age bucket. Narrower is better.
Scores well. A 5-7 channel that uses sentences a 5-year-old can parse, scenes a 5-year-old can track, and resolutions a 5-year-old can hold in working memory.
Scores poorly. A "ages 4+" app that requires reading at a 9-12 level to play.
02. Commercial pressure
Definition. In-app-purchase aggression, ad density, and engagement-loop manipulation patterns.
Scores well. A purely paid app or a fully ad-free experience. A YouTube channel that bunches sponsorships into a single labeled segment.
Scores poorly. Dragon Coin Quest. IAP loops, timer-based pressure, currency artifacts marketed at 4-year-olds.
03. Sensory load
Definition. Audio transitions, visual cuts, flash frequency, and overall pacing intensity.
Scores well. Slow Nature Walks. Continuous-take cinematography, no flashes, no audio stings.
Scores poorly. Channels that cut every 0.6 seconds, layer audio stings on every transition, and pulse colors above 3 Hz.
04. Metadata honesty
Definition. Does the content match what the channel, app, or brand claims about itself?
Scores well. Whisker Labs Science. The channel claims "calm-narrated science for curious 6-8 year olds." The content is calm, narrated, science, and lands for 6-8.
Scores poorly. Apps that claim "ages 4+" with mechanics that require 9-12 reasoning, or "no ads" with sponsor segments embedded in the gameplay.
05. Channel drift
Definition. Does recent output stay consistent with what the channel was when parents first rated it?
Scores well. A channel that has been doing the same calm-narrated science for three years and shows no signal of pivoting.
Scores poorly. A channel that started as 5-7 educational and now produces 9-12 prank content. Parents who rated the original see a "drift detected" badge.
06. Curriculum alignment
Definition. For educational claims: does content align with stated learning objectives?
Scores well. A math channel that says it teaches single-digit addition and actually teaches single-digit addition.
Scores poorly. A "STEM" app whose content is decorative rather than instructional.
Where this rubric is used
The six axes appear on every listing detail page (example), on the browse page (browse), and on the homepage's "Game the classification" demo.