A parent first

What it is

Before a child's name, age or photo can go in, a grown up says who they are. You tell us you are the child's parent or an authorised adult, you read what we collect and why, and you make one small payment. That payment is the check: it is how the law lets us know a real adult agreed. Nothing about a child is asked for before it is done.

What it is for

COPPA, the US children's privacy law, asks every service like ours to know that a parent said yes before it collects anything about a child. We think that is right, and we built the start of the account around it rather than adding a box at the end. The payment is not a fee for the check: it arrives as a Starter Bundle, one Learning Book, one narration and five Practice Packs, so it is spent on your child.

How to use it

1. Press Create your first book on the homepage, give your parent account email, and press Continue securely.
2. Read What we ask for, What we do with it and Who else sees it, then tick the box under Parent agreements to say you are the child's parent or an authorised adult.
3. Make the one time payment. It verifies you, and the Starter Bundle is held for you.
4. Choose a password on the screen that opens next. That is your account. If you close it first, we email you a link so you can finish later.
5. Add your child after that. Their name goes in only once you are verified.

What we suggest

Use the email you will keep. It is where your account lives, and it is how you get back in if you forget your password. Tick the box only if you are the child's parent, or an adult entitled to agree for them: the check is there so that the person who says yes is the one who may.