Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

KidsTok ("we", "us", or "our") is a children's short-video platform designed for kids under 13, operated under parental supervision. KidsTok is operated by TheHybrid, based in Ghana, and is committed to protecting the privacy of children who use our app.

If you have questions about this policy, contact us at kidstokappsupport@gmail.com.

By using KidsTok, parents and guardians accept this Privacy Policy on behalf of their children.

2. Information We Collect

We collect only what is necessary to operate the app safely:

• Account email address (parent/guardian only)
• Display name / nickname chosen by the child
• Profile photo (optional, only for approved creators)
• App usage time (minutes per day, stored per device)
• Watch activity (which videos were watched and how much of each) — used to personalise the in-app feed and to build the optional weekly parent report; kept for at most 60 days and deleted with the account
• Videos uploaded by approved creators
• Creator applications only: applicant name, contact email, country/region, content description, and optional social-media links — used solely to review the application

Browsing while signed out collects no personal data at all.

We do NOT collect:

• Home address or phone number
• Location data
• Payment or financial information
• Contacts or camera roll
• Push-notification tokens (KidsTok sends no push notifications — updates appear only inside the app)

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Create and manage user accounts
• Enable parental screen-time controls
• Deliver content that is safe for children
• Personalise the video feed to your child's interests (within the app only — never for advertising)
• Send the optional weekly parent report email, if you turn it on
• Screen creator names, photos, and every uploaded video with AI safety systems before children can see them, with flagged items held for human review
• Show in-app notifications (e.g., creator approvals)
• Review creator applications
• Investigate reported content or safety concerns

We do NOT use your information for:

• Targeted advertising
• Selling data to third parties
• Advertising or marketing profiles of any kind

4. Data Sharing & Third Parties

We do not sell, rent, or share personal information with third-party companies for marketing purposes.

We use the following trusted services to operate the app:

• Firebase (Google LLC) — authentication, database, storage, and security.
• Google Sign-In — used only for parent/guardian login.
• Bunny Stream — hosts and streams the videos in the app.
• Cloudflare — stores video thumbnails and profile photos.
• Recombee — powers the personalised feed; receives only an anonymous user ID and watch events, never names or emails.
• Resend — delivers the optional weekly parent report email to the parent's address.
• OpenAI and Google AI (Gemini) — automatically screen creator names, photos, and uploaded videos for child safety before they are shown.

Each service operates under its own privacy policy and processes data only as instructed by us.

5. Children's Privacy (COPPA)

KidsTok is directed to children under 13. In accordance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA):

• A parent or guardian must create and manage the account.
• We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children without verifiable parental consent.
• Parents can review, update, or delete their child's data at any time via App Settings → Privacy & Data → Delete Account.
• Parents can contact us at kidstokappsupport@gmail.com to request access to or deletion of their child's data.

If we discover that data has been collected from a child without parental consent, we will delete it immediately.

6. Data Security

• All data is encrypted in transit (TLS/HTTPS)
• Firebase Security Rules restrict access so users can only read and write their own data
• Parental passcodes are stored as SHA-256 hashes — never in plain text
• App Check is enabled to prevent unauthorised API access

No system is 100% secure. If you discover a vulnerability, please report it to kidstokappsupport@gmail.com.

7. Data Retention

We retain your data for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account:

• Your profile and settings are deleted immediately
• Watch activity and the recommendation profile are deleted with the account
• Uploaded videos and profile photos are deleted within 30 days
• Firebase Auth credentials are removed on account deletion

While an account is active, watch activity is kept for at most 60 days, then automatically deleted. Screen-time usage data (minutes per day) is reset daily and is not stored beyond the current day.

8. Your Rights (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten")
• Object to or restrict certain processing
• Data portability

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at kidstokappsupport@gmail.com. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify you via the app.

Continued use of KidsTok after changes are made constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.