But to be less pedantic, let's actually focus on what this will entail.
First of all, "learning to code" is as ambiguous as "learning a [natural] language". Not all natural languages are Latin, and not all programming languages are ALGOL.
Second, I am highly skeptical as to the intentions of this movement. Yet criticizing it is bound to get you labeled a cynic, a Luddite, an obscurantist or a combination of those. After all, teaching kids to code? How benevolent of them!
Not when you realize that the big moguls standing behind this are probably more concerned about having typists who can write instructions, rather than skilled programmers and computer scientists. I'm not saying this out of spite, but because of how they've presented their agenda (I'm referring to Code.org, primarily). The sugar coating, the testimonials from everybody besides actual computer scientists and their setting of sex quotas and affirmative action to create the illusion of desiring equality.
Notice how they all focus on the code. They rarely even use the word "programming". This should already set off an alarm.
As the proprietary software giants are standing by this, they are very likely to focus on proprietary platforms. They don't talk about this, of course. It's all about the code. About imagination, creativity and dreams. Have fun fulfilling your dreams on a locked down tablet with a TPM chip. The issue of software freedom, I believe, is more important than bashing instructions, which is a skill anyone can pick up, if they so desire. But there will be none of that. How many of these kids will be taught about GNU? I'm assuming none. But I'm sure there's going to be lots of Visual Studio and C#, plus iOS and Objective-C.
Ultimately, this will either drive away children from programming (depending on how it's taught, but let's face it: compulsory schooling is notorious for just how apt it is at sucking the life and fun out of learning... even more when Code.org is pushing for pay deductions on teachers whose CS classrooms consist of <40% females), or it will reduce the general quality of labor. Many will be uninterested, many will refine their skills, but many will become 9-to-5 enterprise monkeys as a direct result of this.
I really want to support this. I do. But it really keeps looking like learning to code is just a facade. Of course, the children will learn something, but the ulterior agenda and how their perception will be skewed is something distressing.