Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 7, 2026

Little Wordsmiths is a children's learning product. Protecting children's privacy is central to how we build it. This policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices and rights you have.

1. Who we are

Little Wordsmiths (the "Service", "we", "us") is operated by Little Wordsmiths, Inc., located at 7500 Highway 27, Unit 22 Upper, Vaughan, Ontario L4H 0J2, Canada. We are the data controller responsible for your information. This policy covers our website, our mobile apps (iOS and Android), the printed book companion features, and related services.

2. A note for parents and guardians

Little Wordsmiths is designed for children ages 2 to 8 and is intended to be used with the involvement of a parent or guardian. We do not require a child to provide personal information to use the core learning content. We do not show behavioral advertising to children, and we do not sell children's personal information. For a plain-language summary, see our For Parents page.

3. Information we collect

Information you provide

• Contact information if you email us or request a demo (your name and email address, and anything you choose to include).
• Account information, if a parent or guardian creates an account: the parent's name and email address, a password (stored only in hashed form), and for each child added, the child's first and last name and date of birth, which we use to show age-appropriate content and to track that child's learning progress.
• Subscription information, if you buy a subscription: the purchase is processed by Apple, Google, or our payment provider under their own terms. We receive confirmation of your subscription status, not your full payment-card details.

Information collected automatically

• Device and usage data: device type, operating-system version, app version, language preference, and crash and error diagnostics. For a signed-in child we also record in-app learning activity, such as words viewed, letters and words traced, drawings saved, and videos watched, so we can show progress and improve the Service.
• Our marketing website sets no advertising cookies and uses no third-party analytics cookies. See our Cookie Policy.

The core learning content works in guest mode without an account and without a child providing any personal information; in that mode, activity stays on the device.

4. How we use information

• To provide and operate the learning content and features.
• To respond to your messages and support requests.
• To maintain, secure, and improve the Service (for example, diagnosing crashes).
• To comply with legal obligations.

We do not use children's information for behavioral advertising, profiling, or to build marketing profiles.

5. Our legal bases (GDPR)

For users in the UK and the European Economic Area, we process personal data on these bases: consent (including verifiable parental consent for children), contract (to provide a service you requested), legitimate interests (to secure and improve the Service, balanced against your rights), and legal obligation.

6. Children's privacy (COPPA, GDPR-K, PIPEDA)

We are a Canadian company and follow the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). Because Little Wordsmiths is available globally, we also comply with the U.S. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), the children's provisions of the GDPR, and the UK Age Appropriate Design Code.

• Data minimization: we collect the least information necessary, and the core content works without a child providing personal information.
• Verifiable parental consent: where we would collect personal information from a child under 13 (or the applicable age in your country), we first obtain verifiable parental consent through a parental gate (an adults-only step a young child cannot complete on their own) together with verification of the parent's account email.
• No behavioral advertising to children and no sale of children's personal information.
• Parental controls: parents can review, correct, or delete their child's information and withdraw consent at any time by contacting us at hello@littlewordsmiths.com.

7. How we share information

We do not sell personal information. We share it only with:

• Service providers that operate the Service on our behalf under contract, such as our hosting and cloud-storage provider (located in Germany), crash and error reporting, and email delivery.
• App stores (Apple, Google) for distribution and payments, under their own privacy policies.
• Legal and safety reasons, if required by law or to protect rights and safety.
• A successor entity in the event of a merger or acquisition, subject to this policy.

8. Your privacy rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, port, or restrict processing of your personal information, to object to processing, and to withdraw consent. Canadian residents may, under PIPEDA, access and correct their personal information and complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. California residents (CCPA/CPRA) have the right to know, delete, correct, and to opt out of sale or sharing; we do not sell or share personal information. To exercise any right, contact us at hello@littlewordsmiths.com. You may also lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

9. Data retention

We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purposes described here or as required by law, then delete or anonymize it. A signed-in child's learning data is kept while the account is active and is erased when a parent withdraws consent or requests deletion, with an automatic purge shortly afterward. In guest mode, activity is stored only on the device and is never sent to us.

10. Security

We use appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect personal information, including encryption in transit (HTTPS/TLS), password hashing, access controls, and rate limiting. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we work to protect your information and to notify you and regulators of breaches where required.

11. International data transfers

Our servers are located in Germany, within the European Economic Area. Where we transfer personal data out of the UK or EEA, we use appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy. We will post the new version here with a new "Last updated" date and, for material changes affecting children's data, seek renewed parental consent where required.

13. How to contact us

Questions or requests about privacy: hello@littlewordsmiths.com (general) or hello@littlewordsmiths.com (privacy and data requests). Postal: Little Wordsmiths, Inc., 7500 Highway 27, Unit 22 Upper, Vaughan, Ontario L4H 0J2, Canada.