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Educational Legitimacy in the Platform Economy: The Case of the Google Teacher Approved Program

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Title: Educational Legitimacy in the Platform Economy: The Case of the Google Teacher Approved Program
Language: English
Authors: Chris Zomer (ORCID 0000-0003-2206-4462), Niels Kerssens (ORCID 0000-0002-8564-8118)
Source: Digital Education Review. 2026 (48):1-15.
Availability: Universitat de Barcelona. Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron 171, Edifici Llevant P3, Barcelona, 08035 Spain. e-mail: der@greav.net; Web site: http://revistes.ub.edu/index.php/der
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 15
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Educational Technology, Technology Uses in Education, Computer Oriented Programs, Program Evaluation, Educational Objectives, Credibility, Commercialization, Children, Enrichment, Educational Quality
ISSN: 2013-9144
Abstract: Parental anxieties around educational futures have made the online marketplaces a welcome outlet for parents looking for quality educational apps for their children. In 2020 Google introduced the Google Teacher Approved (GTA) program to evaluate apps for children under 13 on Google Play. In this paper we use the concept of legitimation to analyse how Google creates educational legitimacy for these applications. We conducted a walkthrough of both the GTA course for developers on the Google Play Academy and the Kids' section on Google Play. We also interviewed staff from five different companies that develop apps for children under 13. We argue that the aim of the GTA program is not to "assess" educational "quality", but rather to "create" educational "legitimacy." Google uses ambiguity by design to invoke a sense of educational relevance without needing to make any explicit claims about the pedagogical value of apps. In the GTA program teachers become 'authoritative capital' as they are both appropriated as a signifier of trust and commodified as developers seek ways to capitalise on the aura of quality invoked by a Teacher Approved badge. We found that the legitimacy of the GTA program was contested within the industry on both procedural and consequential grounds. The GTA program is principally a form of self-regulation of controversial monetisation practices, such as the use of ads and in-app purchases. The trustworthiness invoked by teachers is then used to continue these practices in more 'regulated' ways, stymying any critique under the guise of teacher approval.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1500381
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Educational Legitimacy in the Platform Economy: The Case of the Google Teacher Approved Program
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Chris+Zomer%22">Chris Zomer</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2206-4462">0000-0003-2206-4462</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Niels+Kerssens%22">Niels Kerssens</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8564-8118">0000-0002-8564-8118</externalLink>)
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  Data: Universitat de Barcelona. Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron 171, Edifici Llevant P3, Barcelona, 08035 Spain. e-mail: der@greav.net; Web site: http://revistes.ub.edu/index.php/der
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  Data: Parental anxieties around educational futures have made the online marketplaces a welcome outlet for parents looking for quality educational apps for their children. In 2020 Google introduced the Google Teacher Approved (GTA) program to evaluate apps for children under 13 on Google Play. In this paper we use the concept of legitimation to analyse how Google creates educational legitimacy for these applications. We conducted a walkthrough of both the GTA course for developers on the Google Play Academy and the Kids' section on Google Play. We also interviewed staff from five different companies that develop apps for children under 13. We argue that the aim of the GTA program is not to "assess" educational "quality", but rather to "create" educational "legitimacy." Google uses ambiguity by design to invoke a sense of educational relevance without needing to make any explicit claims about the pedagogical value of apps. In the GTA program teachers become 'authoritative capital' as they are both appropriated as a signifier of trust and commodified as developers seek ways to capitalise on the aura of quality invoked by a Teacher Approved badge. We found that the legitimacy of the GTA program was contested within the industry on both procedural and consequential grounds. The GTA program is principally a form of self-regulation of controversial monetisation practices, such as the use of ads and in-app purchases. The trustworthiness invoked by teachers is then used to continue these practices in more 'regulated' ways, stymying any critique under the guise of teacher approval.
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