Code.org: what parents of kids 4–7 should know

• –Official rating above age 7
  No official rating found
• ✓Contact with other players or strangers
  Internet Simulator: teacher-run, high school only
• –Purchases with real money
  CodeAI: every course and tool is free to use
• –Paid random items
  None listed
• –Violence or scary content in rating descriptors
  No descriptors listed
• –Government lawsuits, fines, or safety warnings
  None found

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.

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 Code.org?

Short answer: A nonprofit that makes coding and computer science courses for schools, now called CodeAI.

It was founded in 2013 by Hadi and Ali Partovi and is known for the Hour of Code, now the Hour of AI. Young children use block-based tools such as Sprite Lab, Play Lab, and Dance Party in a web browser. The site still answers at code.org.

Code.org: what's in it

Short answer: No official rating; courses cost nothing, with no ads, and young kids can skip accounts.

• Rating: none. It's a website, and we found no official app on the App Store.
• Ads: none, per its privacy policy (June 2, 2026).
• Accounts: under-13s can learn without one; schools can create accounts, and some places require a parent's email consent.
• Messaging: none, except a teacher-run Internet Simulator in high school classes and optional peer review in AP courses.
• Sharing: students can share links to projects and remix others' projects.
• Common Sense Media: 8+.

Code.org and AI

Short answer: It now teaches AI too. With the name change, the Hour of Code became the Hour of AI, at hourofai.org. Its privacy policy names an AI Chat Lab for middle and high school courses, not the tools for young children. We found no government action against Code.org or CodeAI as of October 2026.

The habit kids may copy: giving up on a bug

When the code doesn't work, the first reaction is often to start over or quit.

Try tonight: a robot friend

Play "robot": your child gives you step-by-step directions to walk to the kitchen. When you bump into something, say: "Oops, the code didn't work. Let's try another way." In our program, this is the lesson "Plan B": if one way doesn't work, try another.

Is Code.org free?

CodeAI, formerly Code.org, says every course, tool, and activity is free to use, and its privacy policy says it shows no ads.

What happened to Code.org?

It renamed itself CodeAI on June 2, 2026, and the Hour of Code became the Hour of AI.

Does my child need an account for Code.org?

No. Its privacy policy says students under 13 can use the courses without an account.

Can kids chat on Code.org?

Its privacy policy says there's no messaging between users, except a teacher-run tool in high school classes.

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