Safety review for player-made levels

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Levels from strangers

Shard Garden's players share levels they build. A level can hide a rude word in its name, a link in its description, or a picture drawn in its tiles.

Before or after

Pre-moderation checks content before anyone else can see it. Post-moderation publishes first and reviews what is reported.

Apple's rules for creator apps add that they "must provide a way for users to identify content that exceeds the app's age rating".

Quick check

Shard Garden's youngest players can open shared levels. Which kind of review should Kai choose?

  1. Pre-moderation: checked before they can see it
  2. Post-moderation only
  3. No review at all
Show the answer

Pre-moderation: checked before they can see it

With pre-moderation, a harmful level never reaches a child in the first place.

What the check reads

The name and description go through the chat filter, and links are removed. The tiles are harder: a picture made of flowers is only visible as a whole, so a person or an image model looks at the level from above.

Spot the hidden problem

A level named "Spring meadow" spells a rude word in flower tiles, seen from above. What would catch it?

  1. Looking at the whole tile layout
  2. Checking the name
  3. Nothing: flowers are fine
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Looking at the whole tile layout

The name is innocent. Only a view of the whole level shows the word.

Trust that grows

Priya's rule: a new creator's levels are all checked before they go public. A creator with a long clean record publishes faster, with spot checks. Anyone can still report any level.

One report button

The report and block from the last lesson work on levels too. A reported level is hidden for the reporter at once, and a moderator decides whether it stays.

Quick check

Checking a level's name and description is enough to review it.

Show the answer

False

The harm can be in the tiles themselves, which no text filter reads.

What the law says

Much of this is now required by law where children play.

Bolt says: Next: children's online safety laws.

Fact-checked 12 October 2026