Short answer: The European Commission has proposed a Digital Fairness Act (DFA) that would give people in the EU the right to switch off app features designed to keep them coming back, including features that reward daily use through "penalties or loss of benefits", which is how a broken streak feels. It is a proposal, not law: it was adopted by the Commission on 11 November 2026 and still has to be negotiated by the European Parliament and the Council (checked November 13, 2026). Streaks would not be banned under the draft text. If it passes, EU learners would more likely get an off switch for streak-style mechanics and unrelated notifications, plus easier subscription cancellation.
This article explains a legislative proposal for language learners. It is not legal advice.
What the Digital Fairness Act Is and Where It Stands
The Digital Fairness Act is a proposed EU regulation on fair business-to-consumer practices online. According to the European Commission's Digital Fairness Act page, the Commission adopted the proposal on 11 November 2026, together with a Simplification Directive, to tackle problems such as dark patterns and addictive design, practices that encourage overspending, unfair personalisation, misleading pricing and subscriptions that are hard to cancel (checked November 13, 2026).
The proposal builds on the Commission's Digital Fairness Fitness Check, whose conclusions were published on 3 October 2024. That review found that existing EU consumer law is still relevant but that harmful practices online, such as dark patterns, needed more attention.
Three facts matter most for learners:
- It is not in force. The Commission's press release says the proposals "will now be discussed by the European Parliament and Council". Both can change the text.
- It would be a regulation. The proposal would replace the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive with rules that apply directly in every member state.
- There is a delay built in. In the proposal text, the regulation would apply 12 months after it enters into force. Since the law has not been adopted, no start date exists yet.
What the Proposal Actually Says About Addictive Design
The section that matters for language apps is the one on addictive design. In the proposal, traders whose digital products are designed in a way that is "intended, or can reasonably be foreseen to encourage compulsive or excessive use" must give consumers easily accessible tools to disable, one by one or all at once, these features:
- autoplay and uninterrupted content without regular breaks to decide whether to continue;
- notifications "not triggered by, or not directly related to, the consumer's interaction or activity on the service";
- "features incentivising engagement at regular times or with greater frequency, including through penalties or loss of benefits for failing to engage regularly or within specified time intervals";
- features that encourage continued use "by simulating interpersonal relations, such as persistent prompts to continue engaging with an automated system".
Notice what this is and is not. It is a right to switch features off. It is not a ban on streaks, leaderboards or reminders. The Commission's questions and answers on the Consumer Package describe it the same way: the DFA "will give consumers more control over addictive design features", for example by letting them turn off autoplay or notifications unrelated to their activity. The proposal text does not mention Duolingo or the word "streak". Applying the third category to streaks is a reasonable reading, and it is how journalists have covered it, but the final scope will depend on negotiations and on how authorities interpret it.
Separate rules for minors sit in the proposed EU KIDS Act, and the DFA's addictive design article excludes some services and practices already covered there.
Why Language App Streaks Are in the Spotlight
Media coverage put streaks at the center of the story. SFG Media, citing Wired, reported that the proposed rules could affect Duolingo and Strava and that the Commission wants users to be able to opt out of daily streaks "without losing their accumulated progress" (checked November 13, 2026). That progress detail comes from press reporting; the official text we read speaks of tools to disable features, without describing what happens to an existing streak.
Duolingo itself is open about how streaks work. In a post on the habit research behind the Duolingo streak, the company explains that once a streak grows long, it taps into "loss aversion", the bias that makes people want to avoid losing something they have built. It also describes the Streak Freeze as a way to add flexibility so that one missed day does not reset everything (checked November 13, 2026).
That is the tension the DFA targets. A streak can help you build a habit, but the same mechanic can make you study out of fear of losing a number rather than to learn. We cover this balance in detail in how to use language app streaks for motivation without obsession.
What Could Change for Learners in the EU
If the proposal becomes law in a form close to the current draft, these are the areas where EU learners would most likely notice a difference. The proposal column reflects the Commission's text and Q&A as checked on November 13, 2026.
| App feature | What the proposal would require | What it would mean for you |
|---|---|---|
| Daily streaks and similar rewards | Effective tools to disable features that push regular engagement through penalties or loss of benefits | A likely option to switch off streak pressure; streaks themselves would not be banned |
| Push notifications | Tools to disable notifications not triggered by or related to your activity | More control over promotional or unrelated pings; reminders you rely on may still be allowed |
| AI chat partners and persistent prompts | Tools to disable features that simulate relationships to keep you engaged | An option to stop an AI character from nudging you to keep chatting |
| Guilt-trip messages | Ban on shaming consumers for choices that do not benefit the business | Messages like "We're sad to see you go" when you cancel are listed as examples of banned practices |
| In-app currencies | Show the real-money value of virtual currency purchases | Clearer prices if an app sells gems, coins or similar for money |
| Subscriptions and free trials | Simple cancellation, active confirmation before a trial turns paid, notice before renewals | Easier to stop paying for an app you no longer use |
In-app currencies are worth a closer look because many language apps use them to sell extra lessons, refills or streak protection. Our explainer on how the Duolingo energy system works shows how these limits and refills fit together today. Under the DFA proposal, purchases with a virtual currency bought for real money would have to show what they are worth in real currency, and for minors such currencies would be off by default.
On enforcement, the Commission's package also proposes giving it direct powers in large cross-border cases, with fines of up to 6% of a company's worldwide annual turnover, according to the press release.
What Will Not Change, at Least Not Yet
- Nothing changes today. Your apps work exactly as before. Any obligations would start only after the regulation is adopted, published and the transition period has passed.
- The text can change. Parliament and the Council can widen, narrow or reword the addictive design rules, including the part that could cover streaks.
- Streaks are not being outlawed. The draft gives you a choice. Learners who like their streak could keep it.
- Apps decide the details. What disabling a streak means in practice, for example whether you keep your count, is not settled by the official text we read.
- Outside the EU, nothing is required. Companies may still roll out new settings worldwide if it is simpler for them.
How to Take Control of Streaks and Notifications Now
You do not need to wait for Brussels. Much of what the DFA would guarantee, you can partly do yourself today:
- Trim notifications. Keep one reminder that suits you and turn off the rest in the app or in your phone's notification settings.
- Measure learning, not days. Set a weekly goal in minutes or tasks instead of an unbroken chain. Our guide to realistic goals in CEFR levels, minutes and streaks shows how.
- Plan rest days. If a missed day would ruin your week, the streak is running you. Decide in advance which days are off.
- Mix in real output. A quick lesson to save a streak rarely builds speaking skills. Add regular speaking practice with a tutor, an exchange partner or an AI speaking tutor such as Enverson AI, and see how to combine an AI language app with real conversation.
- Pick tools that fit you. If gamification stresses you out, our Find Your Fit matcher helps you compare apps by learning style and goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Digital Fairness Act already law?
No. The European Commission adopted its proposal on 11 November 2026, and it now goes to the European Parliament and the Council, which can amend it. In the draft text, the rules would apply 12 months after the regulation enters into force (checked November 13, 2026).
Will Duolingo streaks be banned in the EU?
Not under the proposal as written. It does not name Duolingo or streaks. It would require apps designed in a way that can foreseeably encourage compulsive or excessive use to offer tools to switch off certain features, including features that reward regular engagement through penalties or loss of benefits.
Will I lose my streak if I switch the feature off?
Nobody knows yet. Media reports say the Commission wants users to be able to opt out of streaks without losing progress, but the official text only requires effective tools to disable such features. How each app implements that will depend on the final law.
Will language apps stop sending me practice reminders?
Not automatically. The proposal gives you the right to turn off notifications that are not triggered by, or not directly related to, your own activity in the app. Whether a daily practice reminder falls under that will depend on the final wording and on how authorities interpret it.
Does the Digital Fairness Act apply to learners outside the EU?
It is EU consumer law, so it protects consumers in the EU. Apps may choose to roll out the same settings worldwide, but nothing in the proposal requires them to do so for users elsewhere.