How to choose a safe kids app without ads or tracking

By the Playlearnia team · 6 min read · updated 3 November 2026

"No ads, no tracking" is easy to print on a store page and hard for a parent to verify. You do not need technical knowledge to check most of it. This guide is a checklist you can run in about fifteen minutes, before your child ever opens the app.

Before you download

1. Read the privacy label. On the App Store page, scroll to "App Privacy". "Data Not Collected" is the best case. "Data Used to Track You" is a reason to stop. "Data Linked to You" for a children's app deserves a close look at the privacy policy.
2. Check the category and age rating. Apple's rules for the Kids Category restrict third-party advertising and analytics and require a parental gate before purchases and links that leave the app. Being in the category is a good sign, but it is not a guarantee, so keep checking.
3. Read the privacy policy. Search the page for "advertising", "analytics", "third parties", "share" and "account". Vague language such as "we may share data with partners" is a warning.
4. Look at who made it. A real developer name, a support email that answers and a website that matches the store page are a basic sign of life.
5. Read recent reviews for the words "ad", "pop-up", "subscription" and "charged". Sort by most recent, not most helpful.
6. Look at the price model. Free apps with in-app purchases, weekly subscriptions and free trials that convert into paid plans need extra care. Prefer a clear price, shown before you pay.

In the first ten minutes

1. Open it with the device offline. Switch on airplane mode. A game that works fully offline cannot be loading ads or streaming content while your child plays.
2. Count the permission prompts. A learning game has no reason to ask for your contacts, location, microphone, camera or photos. Tracking permission ("Allow app to track you") should never appear in a children's app.
3. Look for accounts. If it demands an email address or a login before play, ask why. A children's game can store progress on the device.
4. Look for ads and "special offers". That means banners, video ads for a reward, "watch to continue" prompts and pop-ups that sell something.
5. Look for social features. Chat, friends, leaderboards and user-made content mean your child may meet strangers or content you did not choose. For ages 3 to 8, you usually want none of it.
6. Try to leave the app. Tap every link and logo. Anything that opens a browser or the App Store should require an adult step first.
7. Find the shop. Is it behind a gate your child cannot pass, such as a PIN, or a simple "multiply 3 by 4" question? Math gates are easy for a seven-year-old.

Settings on your own device

• Turn on Ask to Buy if you use Family Sharing, so that you approve every purchase.
• Use Screen Time to require a passcode for in-app purchases, and to set app limits and downtime.
• Use Guided Access to lock the device in one app for a session.
• Delete apps you no longer use. An old app with a changed owner or a new version is still on the device.
• Review once a quarter. Open Settings, Privacy and look at which apps have asked for what.

Warning signs

Any one of these is enough to delete the app.

• A countdown to a "limited offer" shown to a child.
• Characters that look sad or beg when your child leaves.
• Rewards for opening the app every day that vanish if you miss one.
• A free trial that asks for your card up front and does not say plainly when it will charge you.
• A privacy policy that cannot be found, or does not mention children at all.

What we can and cannot tell you about Playlearnia

You should hold us to the same list. Playlearnia has no ads and no account, and it contains no analytics, advertising or tracking code from third parties. Progress, settings and play time stay on the device. The only network use is Apple's purchase system, which a parent reaches through a 6-digit PIN. The app asks for no camera, microphone, location, contacts or photo permission, and it declares no tracking in its privacy manifest. The first 7 days include full access with no card, then 5 free games a day are available, and the price is shown before you buy. You can read the details in the privacy policy and on the parents page.

Things you should know. Our privacy policy and terms are drafts and have not yet been reviewed by a lawyer, so we do not claim compliance with COPPA, GDPR-K or any other law. The app is in testing and is not on the App Store yet, so there is no store privacy label to read today. We cannot prove our claims from this page: the checks above work on our app too, and we encourage you to run them when it is available. If you find a problem, write to us at the address on the contact page.

The short version

• Read the privacy label and the policy before you download.
• Test offline, with the permission prompts and the shop gate in mind.
• Turn on Ask to Buy and Screen Time on your own device.
• Delete anything that pressures, begs or hides how it charges.

For help with how long and how often to play, read screen-time-friendly learning games for ages 4 to 7.

More guides

• Screen-time-friendly learning games for ages 4 to 7
• How to practise counting and early math at home
• How to teach letters and early reading at home with games
• A calm after-school and bedtime routine for ages 4 to 7
• Parental controls in kids games: what to look for
• All guides