Duolingo Kids Privacy Policy

Item: Duolingo Kids
Rating: 62
Author: Privacy.Law Editorial Team

Last updated: December 2024 | Reviewed: February 2026

COPPA-compliant language learning with reasonable data practices, though free users encounter advertising.

Grade B

Privacy Summary: Duolingo implements reasonable COPPA safeguards for children's accounts, restricting social features and data collection for users under 13. However, free tier users see contextual advertising, and the company uses analytics to improve services. Subscriber accounts enjoy an ad-free experience with reduced tracking.

Category Scores

Data Collection 65/100

Data Sharing 68/100

COPPA Compliance 80/100

Advertising Practices 48/100

User Controls 62/100

Positives

✓ COPPA-Compliant Design

                    Duolingo ABC and children's accounts are designed with COPPA in mind. Social features like leaderboards and friend connections are disabled for young users.

✓ Limited Data for Children

                    Children's accounts collect less data than adult accounts. Learning progress is stored, but behavioral profiling for advertising is restricted.

Concerns

🔎 Advertising in Free Tier

Free users, including children, see advertisements between lessons. While Duolingo states these are contextual rather than behaviorally targeted, children are still exposed to advertising.

"Free users will see advertisements. We serve contextual ads that are not based on user behavior profiles."

🔎 Analytics and Performance Data

Duolingo collects analytics data to improve the learning experience and app performance. This includes information about how children interact with lessons and where they struggle.

🔎 Third-Party SDKs

The app includes third-party SDKs for analytics and advertising. While Duolingo states these partners are COPPA-compliant, the data flows add complexity.

Data Collection Summary

Data Type	Collected	Risk Level
Child's Age	Yes	Low
Learning Progress	Yes	Low
Device Identifiers	Limited	Medium
Advertising Data	Free Tier Only	Medium
Analytics	Yes	Medium
Social Features	Disabled for Kids	Low

Recommendation

Reasonable Privacy: Duolingo's privacy practices are acceptable for a commercial children's app. COPPA compliance is solid, and the main concern is advertising in the free tier.

For Parents: If advertising to children concerns you, consider subscribing to Duolingo Super or using the completely ad-free Khan Academy Kids for other subjects.