Raising Is ABCmouse safe for kids? What parents should know
Is ABCmouse safe for kids? Apple's App Store rates the ABCmouse app 4+ and lists it as made for ages 5 and under, and Google Play rates it Everyone. The company says there are no third-party ads; a free daily set of activities is included, and Premium is a paid upgrade. In 2020, Age of Learning, which runs ABCmouse, agreed to pay $10 million to settle FTC charges that it didn't clearly disclose automatic renewals and made memberships hard to cancel.
ABCmouse at a glance
- –Official rating above age 7
App Store: 4+, made for ages 0–5 - –Contact with other players or strangers
No chat listed by app stores - ✓Purchases with real money
Premium $14.99 a month or $59.99 - –Paid random items
None listed - –Violence or scary content in rating descriptors
None listed - ✓Government lawsuits, fines, or safety warnings
FTC: $10 million settlement (2020)
Each flag is a yes-or-no fact from the sources on this page. The number is a count of flags, not a safety score. How we count.
| Type | Learning app by Age of Learning for ages 2–8: reading, math, science, and art activities |
|---|---|
| App Store (iOS) | 4+, "Made for Ages 0–5"; in-app purchases $3.99–$59.99 source |
| Google Play | Everyone — In-App Purchases source |
| Common Sense Media | 3+ (an independent nonprofit's age guidance, for ABCmouse.com) |
| FTC (2020) | Age of Learning agreed to pay $10 million to settle FTC charges over auto-renewal and cancellation source |
Checked October 2026. Ratings and settings change; check the official source before you decide. What do these ratings mean?
Facts for parents, not medical or legal advice. If you're worried about your child, talk to your pediatrician.
What is ABCmouse?
Short answer: A learning app and website for kids ages 2 to 8, made by Age of Learning.
It has games, read-to-me books, videos, songs, and puzzles in reading, math, science, art, and music. The current app gives a free daily set of activities; ABCmouse Premium unlocks more than 13,000 activities and a step-by-step learning path.
Is ABCmouse safe for kids? The facts
Short answer: It's rated 4+, made for ages 5 and under, with no chat listed and a paid Premium tier.
- App Store: 4+, "Made for Ages 0–5."
- Google Play: Everyone, with in-app purchases.
- Ads: the company says there are no third-party ads or pop-ups.
- Chat: neither app store lists chat.
- Purchases: App Store items from $3.99 to $59.99, including $14.99 and $59.99 Premium options.
- Common Sense Media: 3+, for ABCmouse.com.
The FTC's $10 million settlement
Short answer: In September 2020, Age of Learning agreed to pay $10 million to settle FTC charges.
The FTC alleged that from 2015 until at least 2018, ABCmouse didn't clearly tell parents that memberships renewed automatically, and made canceling hard. The order bars the company from misrepresenting such offers. In April 2021, the FTC sent more than $9.7 million in refunds to 206,814 people. According to EdWeek Market Brief, the company said those practices had changed years earlier.
The habit kids may copy: it keeps going on its own
Many apps keep playing, renewing, or suggesting the next thing unless someone stops them. Kids can come to expect that things just keep going.
Try tonight: think, then choose
Offer two snacks and ask your child to wait three breaths before picking. Then ask: "Why did you pick that one?" In our program, this is the lesson "Wisdom": thinking before deciding.
Why you can trust this page: the main facts link to their sources, a separate reviewer checks each page before it goes live, and the date shows when we last checked. How we review · Report an error
FAQ
Is ABCmouse free?
The app has a free daily set of activities. ABCmouse Premium is paid; the App Store lists options such as $14.99 and $59.99.
What age is ABCmouse for?
The company says ages 2 to 8. Apple rates the app 4+ and lists it as made for ages 0 to 5.
What was the ABCmouse FTC settlement?
In 2020, Age of Learning agreed to pay $10 million to settle FTC charges that it didn't clearly disclose automatic renewals and made memberships hard to cancel.
Does ABCmouse have ads?
The company says the app has no third-party ads or pop-ups.
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