Education App Privacy for Parents: Questions to Ask Before Your Child Signs Up

Before a child starts using a learning app, it is worth pausing for a short privacy check. An app may ask for a name, email address, date of birth, school details, learning activity, microphone access, photos, or location permissions. Some of those requests may be necessary for a particular feature; others may not be. The important question is not whether every app collects data, but whether a parent can understand what is collected, why it is needed, who receives it, and how long it remains available.

This matters whether an app is chosen by a family, recommended by a tutor, or assigned through a school. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) explains that the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) covers many online services, including apps, directed to children under 13 or that knowingly collect personal information from them. The Department of Education also provides guidance on student privacy and education records in school settings. FTC consumer guidance and the Department’s parent guide to FERPA are useful starting points, but they do not replace reading the terms for the specific app and asking the school how it has approved the tool.

Start with one practical question: what does the app need to do its job?

A privacy policy can be long, so begin with the learning task. If an app provides spelling practice, for example, does it need a nickname and progress history, or does it also request a full date of birth, contacts, camera, microphone, and precise location? A request is not automatically inappropriate, but it should make sense in context.

Ask the provider, teacher, or school:

• What information is required to create and use the account? Request a plain-language list: account details, school identifiers, learning records, device identifiers, and any optional profile information.
• Which features work without extra permissions? A family may be able to decline optional profile fields, notifications, contacts, camera, microphone, or location access while still using the core learning activity.
• Is the account created by the parent, student, school, or teacher? This affects who may be able to view, edit, or close the account.
• Can the child use a display name rather than a full legal name? Where an app and school permit it, data minimisation can reduce unnecessary exposure.

The FTC identifies information such as a child’s name, address, email address, physical location, photos, videos, audio recordings, biometric identifiers, and persistent identifiers used to track activity as personal information for COPPA purposes. That is a useful reminder that “data” includes more than a child’s written answers. Read the FTC’s explanation of children’s personal information.

Six privacy questions to ask about any educational app

1. What data does the app collect, and what is each item used for?

Look beyond the account form. Ask whether the service records learning progress, assignment submissions, error patterns, time spent, messages, device information, IP address, or identifiers used for analytics. Then ask whether each category is used only to provide the educational service or also for product development, analytics, advertising, or another purpose.

A clear answer distinguishes between information needed to run the service and information collected for optional features. It should also identify whether data is shared with service providers such as hosting, analytics, identity, or support vendors. If the answer is vague—such as “we may share information with trusted partners”—ask who those partners are and what limits apply.

2. Will my child see ads, sponsored content, or personalised recommendations?

“Free” can mean several different business models. Ask whether the child will see advertising; whether advertising is contextual or based on activity; whether the app uses persistent identifiers; and whether an ad-free school version differs from a family version. Also ask whether the app sells, shares, or otherwise uses student information for targeted advertising.

This is not simply a question of screen clutter. In an FTC enforcement action involving an education technology provider, the agency alleged that children’s information was used for advertising and emphasised that a school cannot authorise collection on a parent’s behalf when information is used for a non-educational commercial purpose. The FTC’s Edmodo announcement is a helpful example of why families and schools should ask direct questions about ads and data use.

3. Does the app record voice, video, images, or screen activity?

Speech practice, tutoring, video lessons, proctoring-style features, and creative projects can involve recordings. Before enabling them, ask whether recording is optional, when it begins, whether a visible indicator appears, who can replay it, whether it is downloaded or shared, and whether it may be reviewed by people beyond the teacher or tutor.

Also ask whether recordings, transcripts, or images are used to improve automated systems or train models. A provider should explain this in plain language and offer a clear route for questions. The FTC notes that audio, video, and photographs of a child can be personal information under COPPA. See the FTC’s parent guidance.

4. Who can communicate with my child, and what controls exist?

Many educational tools include comments, class feeds, direct messages, shared documents, discussion boards, or peer collaboration. These features can be useful, but parents should understand the boundaries. Ask whether communication is limited to teacher-approved groups, whether students can contact people outside the class, whether messages can be reported, whether adults are verified, and whether a teacher or school can moderate activity.

For younger students, ask whether direct messaging is disabled by default and whether a parent or teacher can review settings. For older students, discuss practical account habits: using a school-appropriate display name, avoiding personal contact details in public posts, and telling a trusted adult about unwanted contact or upsetting content. A privacy review should include these interaction settings, not only the written policy.

5. How do we access, correct, download, and delete information?

Do not assume that deleting an app from a device deletes the account or its data. Ask for the exact process to close an account, request deletion, and confirm completion. Ask what happens to learning records, submitted work, recordings, backups, and information held by service providers. If the app is school-assigned, ask whether the school controls the account and whether a family should contact the teacher, district privacy office, or provider.

For services covered by COPPA, the FTC describes parental rights to review a child’s personal information, direct deletion in certain circumstances, and refuse further collection. Its business guidance also says covered operators should have retention and deletion procedures. FTC COPPA compliance guidance provides context for the questions parents can raise.

6. What age is the app designed for, and how is age handled?

Check the app’s stated age range, account terms, and the school’s intended year group. An age rating in an app store is not the same as a complete privacy assessment. Ask whether the service is directed to children under 13, whether it knowingly serves younger users, how it handles age information, and how parental consent is obtained where required.

COPPA applies to operators of online services directed to children under 13 and to general-audience services with actual knowledge that they collect personal information from children under 13. The FTC says covered services must give parents notice and obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting, using, or disclosing a child’s personal information, subject to the rule’s details and exceptions. Review the FTC’s COPPA rule overview.

When the app comes through a school

A school-assigned app is different from a consumer app, but it still deserves questions. FERPA is a federal law protecting the privacy of student education records at schools that receive applicable U.S. Department of Education funding. Parents generally have rights relating to their child’s education records; those rights transfer to the student when they become an eligible student, which generally occurs at age 18 or when attending a postsecondary institution. Department of Education FERPA guidance.

Ask the school whether the app is approved for classroom use, what student information is shared, what contract or written terms govern the provider’s handling of information, and whom to contact with a privacy concern. Department of Education guidance for third-party providers explains that online educational services can involve other federal, state, tribal, or local privacy requirements as well. Read the Department’s third-party provider guidance.

Keep the conversation collaborative. A teacher may not control every platform setting or contract term, but they can often explain the educational purpose, point parents to the school’s approved-tools process, and raise a question with the appropriate administrator.

A simple family checklist before sign-up

1. Read the app’s privacy summary, permissions screen, and account settings before the child begins.
2. Write down the six answers: data, ads, recordings, communication, deletion, and age.
3. Turn off optional permissions and notifications that are not needed for learning.
4. Use the least identifying account details the app and school allow.
5. Review communication and sharing settings together with the child.
6. Save the support or privacy contact details and the account-deletion instructions.
7. Revisit the settings after major updates, a new device, or a change in how the app is used.

Make privacy part of the learning routine

Privacy questions are not a reason to reject every educational app. They are a way to make informed choices and help students develop digital judgment. A good answer is specific, understandable, and connected to the tool’s educational purpose. A weak answer is difficult to find, broad enough to mean almost anything, or unclear about advertising, recordings, sharing, and deletion.

Families can ask for clarity; schools can explain approval processes; and educators can keep the learning purpose at the centre. If your school or course team is looking for a more deliberate way to reduce repetitive teaching work while keeping teachers responsible for educational decisions, learn more about SubSchool’s approach.