In this guide
What is Duolingo?
Duolingo is the world’s most popular language-learning platform. It offers over 40+ language courses, as well as maths and music lessons.
The platform is available on iOS, Android, and desktop. PEGI rates it as suitable for anyone aged 3 and up. With a clean and colourful design and the interactive game-like lesson structure, Duolingo does have a family friendly appearance and is more attractive to children than many other learning tools.
How it works
On Duolingo, users choose the language they would like to learn, and then begin a course of lessons. Each lesson takes around 5 minutes to complete. These lessons can involve interactive games, listening, speaking, or reading questions.
The platform uses different incentives to motivate users to complete lessons. These include a streak that grows with each consecutive day a user completes a lesson and leaderboards where users earn points by completing lessons.
In addition to leaderboards, other social features also exist, such as forums and the ability to follow other users.
Duolingo splits its courses into multiple sections and units that progressively get harder. Completing an entire language course can take months.
You can use Duolingo for free, but it also offers a premium subscription. This subscription, called Super Duolingo, starts at £4.99 per month, or £48 per year. A family plan also exists, which costs £89.99 per year for up to six people, or £1.24 per month per person.
Super Duolingo removes ads from the app and eliminates the lives feature. This allows users to make as many mistakes as they like without pausing their learning or waiting for more lives.
Duolingo parental controls
Child accounts exist for Duolingo. Duolingo asks anyone under 13 to enter their parent’s email address when creating an account, automatically setting them up with a child account. These accounts do not have access to social features such as leaderboards or adding friends.
Duolingo doesn’t verify age, so it’s best to help your child create their account and ensure they enter the correct age.
Benefits of Duolingo
- Learn a new language from a choice of 40+ languages
- Child accounts exist to keep under 13’s safe
- Easy and engaging interface for children
- Maths and music lessons on app also
- Does not require a paid subscription
What to watch out for
Child accounts restrict the social aspects of Duolingo, but if your child is aged 13 or older, they will be able to follow other users, and other users can comment on your child’s updates. Strangers seeking to do harm could use this feature to try and get your child to talk to them on other platforms. Encouraging your child to talk to you about their digital life will help you stay aware about anyone contacting them online.
The game-like nature of Duolingo could cause children to spend excessive amounts of time on the app. Users are given challenges that incentivise using the app, such as a goal to complete a certain amount of lessons within one week. Because of this, you should monitor their screen time.
Not only are users incentivised to use the app, Duolingo has received criticism for emotionally ‘blackmailing’ users to engage. Duolingo sends a high amount of push notifications and emails to users, guilt tripping them for not completing lessons. This could lead to an increase in stress.