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Children's Privacy Policy

Last Updated: August 15, 2025

1. Introduction

Dictionary ("we," "our," or "us") is dedicated to providing a safe, educational, and enriching language learning experience for young users. This Children's Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard information from children under the age of 13, in strict accordance with applicable federal and state laws.

2. Information We Collect from Children

We limit the collection of personal information from children to only what is reasonably necessary to deliver our educational services. When children use Dictionary, we may collect:

• Account Information: If created with verifiable parental consent, we may collect a parent-provided email address and a non-personalized username.
• Usage & Learning Data: Search queries, word lookups, vocabulary progress, quiz results, and reading levels used to personalize educational content.
• Device & Technical Data: Browser type, operating system, IP address (used for security and geographic content adaptation), and general device identifiers necessary for app functionality.

3. How We Use Information

Information collected from children is used exclusively for the following purposes:

• Providing, maintaining, and improving our educational dictionary and language learning services
• Tracking vocabulary development and learning progress to tailor difficulty levels
• Ensuring a safe, age-appropriate, and ad-free experience
• Communicating with parents/guardians regarding account management, updates, or consent verification
• Complying with legal obligations and preventing fraud or abuse

4. Parental Consent & Control

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. Parents and legal guardians retain full control over their child's data and have the right to:

• Review all information collected from their child at any time
• Request immediate deletion or modification of their child's data
• Refuse further collection or use of information
• Opt-out of personalized learning recommendations or analytics
• Close or suspend their child's account

To exercise these rights, please contact our privacy team at privacy@dictionary.com with "Children's Data Request" in the subject line.

5. Data Sharing & Third Parties

We never sell, trade, rent, or share children's personal information with third parties for marketing, advertising, or profiling purposes. We may share limited technical or usage data with trusted service providers solely to operate our platform (e.g., secure cloud hosting, content delivery, and analytics providers bound by strict data processing agreements). All third parties are contractually prohibited from using children's data for any unrelated purpose.

6. Data Security & Retention

We implement industry-standard technical and organizational safeguards to protect children's data, including AES-256 encryption, strict access controls, regular security audits, and data minimization practices. Children's data is retained only as long as necessary to provide educational services or as required by law. Upon account deletion or parental request, data is permanently removed from our active systems within 30 days.

7. Children's Rights & Parental Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have additional rights under laws such as the GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, Virginia CDPA, or other regional privacy regulations. Parents and guardians may contact us to request access, correction, portability, or deletion of their child's data at any time. We will respond to verified requests within 30 days and never require excessive documentation for routine access or deletion requests.

8. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Children's Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. Material changes will be communicated to parents/guardians via email or in-app notice. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page will reflect all revisions.

9. Contact Us

If you have questions about this policy, our data practices regarding children, or wish to submit a parental request, please contact: