Hulu

Is Hulu safe?

Yes, for most people. Hulu has no messaging, no uploads from strangers and no open comments, so the risks that dominate social apps barely apply. We score it 58/100, a little below its sister app Disney+ (60) and below Netflix (65).

What holds Hulu back is data, not content. The cheaper plan with ads tracks you across other apps, and in February 2026 California found that Disney's opt-out tools did not stop data sales across Hulu and its other services. For parents, the catch is that Hulu's controls are all or nothing.

What Hulu's ad plan does with your data

Apple's privacy label for Hulu has a "Data Used to Track You" section: identifiers may be used to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies. Linked to your identity are coarse location, email address, name, user and device IDs, viewing and other product interaction, advertising data, purchase history and search history. Precise location appears too, listed for app functionality.

Hulu uses the Walt Disney Company's privacy policy, last changed on 30 September 2025, which covers Disney+ and every other Disney business. It allows targeted advertising "based on your activity on our sites and applications and on third-party sites and applications". One clause applies only to Hulu: it may share information with content programmers, distributors, device partners and its corporate owners, and, with your consent, share your viewing information together with personal information with these and other third parties.

The no-ads plan at $21.49 a month removes ads but not data collection. Your viewing is still recorded and linked to your account.

How the California settlement affects Hulu

California's Attorney General announced a $2.75 million settlement with Disney on 11 February 2026, the largest under the state's privacy law to that date. The case grew out of a January 2024 sweep of streaming services. The press release names only Disney, but the complaint states that Disney "owns and operates the Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ streaming services" and includes a screenshot of the opt-out notice in the Hulu iOS app.

The state's findings were specific. An opt-out toggle on Hulu applied only to Hulu, and often only to the device you used. Disney's web form stopped sharing through Disney's own ad platform but not with third-party ad-tech companies whose code ran in the apps. Many connected-TV apps had no in-app opt-out at all. The complaint says a bundle subscriber with a computer, tablet and TV could have had to opt out up to ten times. Disney did not admit liability and waived its right to appeal. The stipulated judgment, lodged with the Los Angeles Superior Court as a proposed order on 11 February 2026 (the public copy is unsigned), requires opt-outs that stop all sale and sharing across Disney's streaming services and bans selling data of users it knows are 13 to 15 without their opt-in.

We count this as one mid-sized, consumer-facing penalty against Hulu. Disney's separate $10 million FTC settlement in 2025 was about Disney videos on YouTube, so it counts on the Disney+ page, not here.

Setting up Hulu for children

Hulu's controls are simple. A Kids profile is limited to the Kids hub, so a young child can browse, search and play without meeting mature titles. PIN Protection then requires a four-digit PIN before anyone switches to a non-Kids profile or creates a new one. You set the PIN on hulu.com in a computer or phone browser, under Manage Profiles, and changing or turning it off needs the account password.

There is nothing in between. Disney+ lets you set a content rating on each profile; Hulu does not. A 13-year-old who has outgrown the Kids hub gets a normal profile, and a normal profile can play the whole catalogue, including TV-MA series. Hulu + Live TV adds live news and sports on top. For that age, supervision or device controls do more than Hulu's own settings.

Logins and account security

We found no reported breach of Hulu's systems. Account protection is basic, though. Hulu's two-step verificationTwo-factor authenticationSigning in with a second proof of identity on top of your password, such as a code from an app, a security key or a passkey.More in the glossary sends a code or link to your email only when you update account details or make certain in-app purchases; it does not add a second step to every sign-in, and there is no authenticator-app option. Disney runs a company-wide vulnerability disclosure programme on HackerOne, with no cash rewards, which has resolved more than 1,700 reports since 2022.

Disney said in August 2025 that it would fully integrate Hulu into the Disney+ app during 2026 while still selling Hulu on its own. The standalone Hulu app was still being updated in October 2026. If you move to the Disney+ app, its label and settings apply.

How to use Hulu safely

1. Create a Kids profile for each young child and turn on PIN Protection from Manage Profiles on hulu.com.
2. For teenagers, use device controls such as Screen Time or Google Family Link, since Hulu has no per-profile rating limit.
3. Use a password you use nowhere else, because two-step verificationTwo-factor authenticationSigning in with a second proof of identity on top of your password, such as a code from an app, a security key or a passkey.More in the glossary does not cover sign-in.
4. In states with privacy laws, use the Do Not Sell or Share link, then turn on the opt-out in the Hulu app on every device you use.
5. Opt out of Nielsen ad measurement from the Hulu account page if you do not want to take part.

How we scored it

Scams and harmful content (72) is Hulu's strongest factor: licensed content, no messaging, and a working Kids profile with a PIN, held back by the lack of rating controls between Kids and adult. Privacy (48) is the weakest, because Apple's label shows tracking and Disney's policy allows ads based on outside activity. Regulatory record (62) reflects the $2.75 million California settlement, and transparency and control (60) the opt-outs that did not work as promised.