Safety
Our safety and privacy approach
GenKid is designed for children from the start. This page explains how. It describes our design, not a guarantee — no online service can promise to be perfectly safe — and we'll keep improving it.
Privacy by default
- Learner accounts are created by a parent or guardian. Learners sign in with a username — we don't ask children for an email address, birthday, photo or location.
- We store an age band (like 11–12) only to adjust reading level, not a date of birth.
- Projects, progress and portfolios are private. There are no public profiles, no learner-to-learner chat, no public leaderboards and no social sharing inside GenKid.
- Exporting a project downloads it to your own device; nothing is published by GenKid.
The AI helper
- AI replies are clearly labelled as AI-generated, with a reminder to test code and check important facts.
- The helper gives hints and explanations first, rather than doing the work for the learner.
- It is a tool, not a character: it doesn't pretend to be a friend or a person.
- Messages that include personal details (like an email, phone number, address or school) are stopped before reaching any AI provider, with an explanation.
- If a message suggests a learner may be upset or unsafe, the helper doesn't continue the conversation; it encourages talking to a trusted adult and shows Childline's contact details.
- We don't store the text of AI conversations. We keep usage counts (like how many questions were asked today) to apply fair-use limits.
- AI providers are connected only through GenKid's servers. Their keys are never sent to the browser or included in learner projects.
Code runs in a sandbox
- Learner code runs in an isolated, sandboxed frame in the browser with no network access, no access to GenKid's pages or sign-in, and automatic stopping of runaway loops.
- Learner code never runs on GenKid's servers.
Third-party tools and age rules
- Later courses teach professional tools. Each tool has its own age rules and terms. GenKid never encourages learners to create accounts against those rules or to enter payment details.
- Where a tool requires an adult, the course uses a sandbox demonstration or a parent/guardian-guided setup.
- GenKid plans don't include or resell other companies' subscriptions.
How we keep improving
- We review GenKid against the ICO's Age Appropriate Design Code and keep our Data Protection Impact Assessment up to date as features change.
- We test the AI helper's safety filters regularly and fix problems we or families find.
- We have data processing agreements with every service that handles personal data for us. Concerns go to hello@genkid.app and are logged with a response deadline.
If you're worried about a child's safety, contact the police on 999 in an emergency. Children and young people in the UK can contact Childline on 0800 1111.