How to Choose Safe Educational Games for Kids: A Parent’s Checklist

There are thousands of “educational” games and apps for children — and they vary enormously in quality and safety. Some are carefully designed learning tools; others are built mainly to show ads or sell upgrades. Here’s what to look for, whether you’re in the US, UK, Canada or Australia.

1. Privacy: what does it collect?

Children’s data is protected by law — COPPA in the United States, the Age Appropriate Design Code in the UK, and privacy laws in Canada and Australia. A trustworthy kids’ game should:

• Never ask a child for their email, full name, photo or location.
• Explain in plain language what it stores and why.
• Ask a parent for consent before storing anything personal, and let you delete it.
• Not share children’s information with advertisers or other companies.

2. Ads and purchases

Ads interrupt learning and can lead children to other apps or websites. In-game purchases aimed at children — gems, lives, loot boxes — are designed to exploit impatience. Look for games with no ads during play and where any paid options are clearly for grown-ups, behind a parent check.

3. Healthy design, not endless play

• Short sessions with natural stopping points (a round, a level, a story).
• No endless feeds, autoplay or “just one more” pressure.
• Rewards for effort and progress — not streaks that punish a missed day.
• Gentle suggestions to take a break.

4. Real learning value

A learning game should practise a clear skill and adapt to your child. Signs of quality: levels that get harder as your child succeeds, feedback that explains rather than just says “wrong”, and content that matches what children learn at school (for example, Common Core in the US, or the national curricula in England and Australia).

5. Right for your child’s age

A four-year-old needs spoken instructions, big buttons and very few choices; an eleven-year-old needs a real challenge and a layout that doesn’t feel babyish. Good games change with the child — see how we do this for ages 4–6, 7–9 and 10–12.

The quick checklist

1. No personal information asked of my child.
2. No ads or links out of the game during play.
3. No purchases aimed at children.
4. Short sessions with clear endings.
5. Adapts to my child’s age and level.
6. I can see progress and delete data.

How much screen time is OK?

Health bodies recommend limited, high-quality screen time for young children, ideally with a grown-up nearby, and a balance with sleep, play and time outdoors for older kids. A few focused minutes of a good learning game can be a valuable part of the day — and it’s even better when you play together and talk about it afterwards.