Solved: If any app developers run into this issue, I recommend setting the app’s category to Communication (instead of Social), then you will no longer be required to declare a CSAE standard for your app.

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I was trying to release an update for Interstellar (my Mbin/Lemmy app) today, and I ran into Google Play’s new Child Safety Standards policy that requires the following if your app is in the Social category:

• Have published standards against child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE);
• Provide an in-app mechanism for user feedback;
• Address child sexual abuse material (CSAM);
• Comply with child safety laws; and
• Provide a child safety point of contact.

This means, at the very least, I need to write a whole new document (and link to it), addressing how my app’s standards are against CSAE (I guess, but I’m not even sure what they want me to put in the document, they’re not being clear). Technically, my app already has a report button that allows you to report a post or comment to community moderators and admins, so I’m just going to hope that’s good enough.

They act like I, as the app developer, am responsible for the content that a user views, but a user could sign in to any number of Lemmy or Mbin servers that I have no control over whatsoever.

And apparently, this was supposed to be enforced on January 22, 2025, but I don’t even remember hearing anything about this till now. Luckily, I was able to extend the deadline till March 19, 2025.

I guess I just wanted to rant about Google Play’s crazy developer requirements, and see if anybody else has run into this yet.