Child Safety Policy

At Scribbin, child safety is our highest priority. This Child Safety Policy outlines our commitment to protecting children, ensuring age-appropriate content, and creating a safe environment for families creating personalized storybooks.

1. Our Child Safety Commitment

Scribbin is designed to help adults create wonderful, age-appropriate stories for children. We are committed to:

• Preventing the creation or distribution of harmful, inappropriate, or exploitative content
• Protecting children's privacy and personal information
• Providing tools for parents and guardians to supervise content
• Responding swiftly to safety concerns and reports
• Complying with child protection laws, including the UK GDPR, the ICO's Age Appropriate Design Code (the Children's Code), and equivalent laws in other countries
• Working with recognised child safety organisations and reporting bodies

2. Age Requirements

2.1 Account Holders

Scribbin accounts may only be created and used by individuals who are:

• 18 years of age or older, OR
• 13-17 years old with verifiable parental consent

2.2 Content Audience

While Scribbin is designed for creating content for children, the service itself is not intended for direct use by children under 13. Parents and guardians are responsible for:

• Creating and managing accounts
• Generating story content
• Supervising children's access to created stories
• Enabling parental controls and child lock features

3. Content Safety Standards

All content created on Scribbin must be appropriate for children. We prohibit content that includes or promotes:

3.1 Strictly Prohibited Content

• ✕Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM): Any sexualised content involving minors, in any form
• ✕Child Exploitation: Content that exploits, endangers, or harms children
• ✕Violence Against Children: Graphic violence, abuse, or harm to children
• ✕Adult Content: Sexually explicit material, nudity, or adult themes
• ✕Self-Harm: Content promoting suicide, self-injury, or eating disorders
• ✕Dangerous Activities: Content encouraging children to take part in harmful behaviour

3.2 Age-Inappropriate Content

• Excessive Violence: Graphic depictions of blood, gore, or brutality
• Frightening Content: Horror imagery designed to terrify young children
• Hate Speech: Content promoting discrimination, racism, or bigotry
• Profanity: Excessive use of vulgar or offensive language
• Substance Abuse: Glorification of drugs, alcohol, or tobacco use
• Weapons: Detailed depictions of realistic weapons or their use

3.3 Privacy Violations

• Personal information about real children (names, addresses, schools, photos)
• Identifiable information that could endanger a child's safety
• Content that violates a child's privacy rights

4. Content Moderation

Scribbin uses multiple layers of content moderation to ensure child safety:

4.1 AI Content Filtering

Our AI generation partners (Google Gemini) provide built-in content filtering that:

• Blocks prompts requesting inappropriate content
• Filters generated text and images for safety violations
• Rejects requests that violate usage policies
• Flags potentially concerning content for review

4.2 Automated Monitoring

We use automated systems to:

• Scan generated content for prohibited material
• Detect patterns of misuse or policy violations
• Identify uploaded images that may violate policies
• Flag suspicious account activity

4.3 Human Review

Our trained safety team conducts:

• Manual review of flagged content
• Investigation of user reports
• Quality assurance checks on AI-generated content
• Regular audits of published stories

4.4 User Reporting

All users can report concerning content. Reports are:

• Reviewed as quickly as we can, with the most serious reports treated as urgent
• Investigated carefully by our team
• Escalated to law enforcement and reporting bodies when appropriate
• Kept confidential to protect the person reporting

5. Parental Controls

Scribbin provides tools to help parents and guardians supervise content:

5.1 Child Lock PIN

Account holders can set a 4-digit PIN to:

• Prevent unauthorized story creation or editing
• Restrict access to account settings
• Control print ordering and payments
• Lock the interactive reader to view-only mode

5.2 Content Supervision

Parents can:

• Review all generated stories before sharing with children
• Edit or delete inappropriate content
• Set age-appropriate content filters
• Control which stories are visible to children

5.3 Reading Mode Controls

The interactive reader includes:

• Optional narration controls (enable/disable TTS)
• Auto-advance settings for supervised reading
• Screen time limits and reading session controls
• Parent-only menu access with PIN protection

6. Privacy Protection for Children

We protect children's privacy by:

6.1 No Direct Data Collection from Children

• Children under 13 cannot create accounts
• We do not knowingly collect data from children
• Story content does not require child personal information
• Reading sessions do not track individual children

6.2 Parent/Guardian Data Management

• Only account holders (adults) provide personal information
• Stories can be created without including children's real names or photos
• Parents control all data and can request deletion at any time
• Print orders only require shipping addresses (no child-specific data)

6.3 Third-Party Data Sharing

• We do not share children's information with advertisers
• AI generation services process prompts to create your story but do not retain child data for their own purposes
• Print services (Prodigi) only receive the shipping information needed to deliver your order
• We don't use tracking cookies or build advertising profiles of anyone

7. Reporting and Response

7.1 How to Report Safety Concerns

If you encounter content or behavior that violates our Child Safety Policy, please report it immediately:

• Email: safety@scribbin.com — our dedicated child safety inbox, which we treat as a priority
• Emergency: If a child is in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services first (in the UK, call 999), then let us know

7.2 Information to Include

When reporting, please provide:

• URL or story ID of the concerning content
• Description of the safety concern
• Screenshots or evidence (if safe to capture)
• Your contact information for follow-up (optional, reports can be anonymous)

7.3 Our Response Process

1. Immediate action: Content flagged as potentially harmful is hidden while we review it, and the most serious reports are treated as urgent
2. Investigation: Our safety team reviews the report and gathers the facts
3. Decision: We take appropriate action — removing content, suspending or closing accounts, and reporting to the authorities where required
4. Follow-up: We let the reporter know the outcome, if they gave us contact details

7.4 Enforcement Actions

Depending on severity, violations may result in:

• Content Removal: Immediate deletion of violating content
• Warning: Formal warning for minor or first-time violations
• Account Suspension: Temporary suspension (7-30 days) for moderate violations
• Permanent Ban: Permanent account termination for severe or repeated violations
• Law Enforcement Report: Mandatory reporting of CSAM, child exploitation, or credible threats

8. Age-Appropriate Content Guidelines

To help create safe, age-appropriate stories, we recommend:

Scribbin lets you choose an age range for each story (0-3, 4-6, 7-9, or 10-12), which helps our AI pitch the vocabulary and themes appropriately.

8.1 Ages 0-3 (Babies & Toddlers)

• Simple, positive stories with bright, friendly illustrations
• No conflict or scary elements
• Focus on learning, discovery, and daily routines
• Gentle characters and reassuring themes

8.2 Ages 4-6 (Preschool & Early Readers)

• Simple adventures with mild, age-appropriate challenges
• Positive role models and gentle problem-solving
• Fantasy elements kept friendly and non-threatening
• Clear, kind messages and happy endings

8.3 Ages 7-9 (Confident Readers)

• Longer adventures with relatable, age-appropriate challenges
• Themes of friendship, courage, and problem-solving
• Mild suspense kept light and reassuring
• Positive role models and satisfying endings

8.4 Ages 10-12 (Older Children)

• More complex stories with relatable conflicts
• Age-appropriate challenges (school, friendships, family)
• Themes of growth, courage, and resilience
• Mild adventure and suspense (no graphic violence)

9. Educational Resources

Scribbin provides resources to help families create and share stories safely:

9.1 For Parents and Guardians

• Content Guidelines: Best practices for age-appropriate stories
• Safety Tips: How to supervise children's access to digital content
• Privacy Guide: Protecting children's personal information
• Digital Literacy: Teaching children about online safety

9.2 For Educators

• Classroom use guidelines
• Student privacy protections
• Age-appropriate storytelling techniques
• Anti-bullying and inclusivity resources

10. Third-Party Content and Links

Scribbin-generated content should not include:

• Links to external websites or services
• References to inappropriate media or products
• Contact information for individuals or organizations
• QR codes or embedded content from third parties

We are not responsible for third-party content accessed outside of Scribbin. Parents should supervise all of their children's internet use.

11. International Child Safety

Scribbin complies with child protection laws globally, including:

• United Kingdom: UK GDPR, the ICO's Age Appropriate Design Code (the Children's Code), and the Online Safety Act 2023
• European Union: GDPR Article 8 (age of consent for online services) and the ePrivacy Directive
• United States: COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act)
• Australia: Online Safety Act
• Canada: PIPEDA and provincial privacy laws

12. Our Ongoing Commitment

Child safety isn't a box we tick once — it's something we keep working at. We are committed to:

• Following recognised best practices for protecting children online
• Reviewing and improving our safety measures as Scribbin grows
• Cooperating with law enforcement and child protection agencies where needed
• Reporting illegal material to the appropriate authorities, including the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and the National Crime Agency's CEOP Command in the UK

13. Updates to This Policy

We regularly review and update this Child Safety Policy to reflect:

• Changes in child safety best practices
• New technologies and features
• Evolving legal requirements
• Feedback from users and safety experts

Material changes will be communicated via email and prominent notice on our website.

14. Contact Us

For questions about child safety or to report concerns:

Child Safety Team: safety@scribbin.com — reports are treated as a priority
Privacy Concerns: privacy@scribbin.com
General Enquiries: hello@scribbin.com
Website: https://scribbin.com