Plain-English summary: You must be 18+ to create an account. You own the stories generated for you. Don't misuse the service or try to circumvent usage limits. Subscriptions auto-renew; cancel any time. We provide the service "as is" and our liability is limited to what you paid us in the past 12 months.
1. Acceptance of Terms
By accessing or using the KidStories website at kidstories.io (the "Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms & Conditions ("Terms"). Please read them carefully before using the Service.
If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not access or use the Service. Your continued use of the Service following any update to these Terms constitutes acceptance of those changes.
These Terms form a legally binding agreement between you and KidStories ("we", "us", "our").
2. Eligibility
You must be at least 18 years of age to create an account and use the Service. By creating an account, you represent and warrant that:
- You are at least 18 years old
- You have the legal capacity to enter into this agreement
- You are not barred from receiving services under applicable law
- The information you provide is accurate and complete
KidStories is intended for parents, guardians, and educators to create stories for children. Children under 13 may not create accounts. Any use by a minor requires verifiable parental or guardian consent.
3. The Service
KidStories provides an AI-powered platform that generates personalized children's storybooks, including illustrated PDF books and optional audio narration, based on input you provide (child's name, age, interests, and preferred story genre).
3.1 Service Availability
We aim to provide the Service 24/7 but do not guarantee uninterrupted availability. We may temporarily suspend the Service for maintenance, updates, or events outside our control. We will endeavor to provide advance notice of planned downtime where possible.
3.2 Story Generation
Stories are generated using third-party AI services (Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT-4o). Generation typically completes within 2–5 minutes. Generation time may vary based on server load and the complexity of the request. Failed stories do not consume your monthly quota and can be retried at no additional cost.
3.3 Plan Limits
Each subscription plan includes a monthly story limit. These limits reset on the 1st of each calendar month:
- Free: 3 stories per month
- Starter ($9/mo): 20 stories per month
- Pro ($19/mo): 50 stories per month
Unused stories do not roll over to the following month. We reserve the right to adjust plan features and pricing with 30 days' advance notice to existing subscribers.
3.4 Rate Limiting
To ensure fair access for all users and prevent abuse, the Service enforces a minimum interval of 10 minutes between story creation requests from the same IP address. This limit applies regardless of subscription tier.
4. Accounts & Security
You may sign in to KidStories using your Google account. By connecting your Google account, you authorize us to access your basic profile information (name, email, profile picture) as described in our Privacy Policy.
You are responsible for:
- Maintaining the security of your Google account credentials
- All activity that occurs under your KidStories account
- Notifying us immediately at security@kidstories.io if you suspect unauthorized access
You may not share your account with others or create multiple accounts to circumvent plan limits. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts found in violation of this rule.
5. Subscriptions & Billing
5.1 Free Plan
The Free plan requires no payment. It provides limited monthly story generation with basic features. No credit card is required to sign up for the Free plan.
5.2 Paid Subscriptions
Paid subscriptions (Starter and Pro) are billed monthly in advance. All billing is handled by Paddle, our payment processor. By subscribing, you agree to Paddle's terms of service in addition to these Terms.
5.3 Auto-Renewal
Subscriptions automatically renew each month on the billing anniversary date. You will be charged the then-current plan price unless you cancel before the renewal date. You can manage or cancel your subscription at any time from your account dashboard.
5.4 Cancellation
You may cancel your subscription at any time. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. You will retain access to paid features until the end of the period for which you have already paid. We do not provide partial refunds for mid-period cancellations unless required by law.
5.5 Refunds
We offer a 7-day money-back guarantee for first-time subscribers. If you are not satisfied with the Service within the first 7 days of your first paid subscription, contact us at billing@kidstories.io for a full refund.
After the 7-day period, refunds are issued at our discretion and only in cases of significant technical failure on our part (e.g., persistent inability to generate stories) or as required by applicable consumer protection law.
5.6 Price Changes
We reserve the right to change subscription prices. We will give you at least 30 days' advance notice of any price increase via email. Your continued subscription after the notice period constitutes acceptance of the new price.
5.7 Taxes
Paddle, as our Merchant of Record, is responsible for calculating, collecting, and remitting applicable taxes (VAT, GST, sales tax) for purchases made through our platform.
6. Acceptable Use
You agree to use the Service only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms. You may not:
- Use the Service to generate content that is obscene, violent, hateful, discriminatory, or harmful to minors
- Attempt to circumvent monthly story limits (e.g., by creating multiple accounts)
- Attempt to bypass the IP rate limiting mechanism
- Use automated scripts or bots to generate stories at scale
- Attempt to reverse-engineer, decompile, or extract source code from the Service
- Introduce malware, viruses, or any harmful code into the Service
- Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Service or its infrastructure
- Use the Service in a way that could damage, disable, or impair the Service for other users
- Resell, sublicense, or commercially exploit the Service or stories generated through it without our written consent
- Violate any applicable laws or regulations in your use of the Service
We reserve the right to suspend or terminate access for any user who violates these rules, without notice and without refund.
7. Content & Intellectual Property
7.1 Your Input
You retain ownership of the information you provide to generate stories (child names, interests, etc.). By providing this information, you grant us a limited license to process it for the purpose of generating your requested stories.
7.2 Generated Stories
Stories, illustrations, and audio files generated by the Service on your behalf ("Generated Content") are provided for your personal, non-commercial use. Subject to your compliance with these Terms and payment of applicable fees, we grant you a non-exclusive, non-transferable, personal license to use Generated Content for private family use, including printing, sharing with family members, and archiving.
You may not sell, license, or commercially distribute Generated Content without our written permission.
7.3 Our Intellectual Property
The KidStories brand, website design, software, and underlying technology are owned by us and protected by intellectual property laws. You may not use our trademarks, logos, or brand assets without written permission.
7.4 AI Provider Rights
Story generation relies on third-party AI providers. While we grant you the rights described above, AI-generated content may be subject to certain limitations imposed by those providers' terms. We do not warrant that Generated Content is entirely original or free from similarity to other AI-generated works.
8. AI-Generated Content Disclaimer
Important: Stories, illustrations, and audio are generated by artificial intelligence. While we apply content safety guidelines, AI systems are not perfect. You should review all Generated Content before sharing it with children.
We make reasonable efforts to ensure that generated stories are age-appropriate, safe, and positive. However:
- AI-generated content may occasionally contain unexpected, inappropriate, or factually inaccurate material
- Illustrations are AI-generated and may not always precisely match the story text
- Audio narration is synthesized and may not sound perfectly natural in all languages
- We do not guarantee that every story will meet your specific creative expectations
You are responsible for reviewing Generated Content before sharing it with your children. If you encounter content that appears inappropriate, please report it to safety@kidstories.io.
9. Children's Privacy
KidStories is committed to protecting children's privacy. The Service is operated by and for adults. Children may not create accounts on the Service.
When you create a child profile, you are providing us with information about a child under your care as the parent or legal guardian. You represent and warrant that you have the authority to provide this information and consent to its use as described in our Privacy Policy.
We comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as they apply to children's data. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children.
10. Termination
10.1 Termination by You
You may close your account at any time by contacting us at hello@kidstories.io. Upon account closure, your access to the Service will end, and your data will be deleted in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Active paid subscriptions should be cancelled before account closure to avoid further charges.
10.2 Termination by Us
We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account and access to the Service at any time, with or without notice, if we reasonably believe you have:
- Violated these Terms
- Engaged in fraudulent activity
- Failed to pay subscription fees when due
- Created risk or legal exposure for us or other users
In the event of termination for cause, no refund will be issued. In the event we terminate the Service without cause, we will provide a pro-rated refund for any unused prepaid subscription period.
10.3 Effect of Termination
Upon termination, your license to use the Service and Generated Content (except copies already saved locally) ends immediately. Sections 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, and 14 of these Terms survive termination.
11. Disclaimers
THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO:
- WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT
- WARRANTIES THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR FREE OF HARMFUL COMPONENTS
- WARRANTIES REGARDING THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, OR QUALITY OF AI-GENERATED CONTENT
- WARRANTIES THAT THE SERVICE WILL MEET YOUR SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS OR EXPECTATIONS
Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties. If you are in such a jurisdiction, some of the above exclusions may not apply to you.
12. Limitation of Liability
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL KIDSTORIES, ITS AFFILIATES, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY:
- INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES
- LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, GOODWILL, OR BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
- DAMAGES ARISING FROM YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICE
- DAMAGES ARISING FROM UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR ALTERATION OF YOUR DATA
IN ANY CASE, OUR TOTAL CUMULATIVE LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY CLAIMS ARISING UNDER OR RELATED TO THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICE SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF: (A) THE TOTAL FEES YOU PAID TO US IN THE 12 MONTHS IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE CLAIM, OR (B) $50 USD.
Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages. If you are in such a jurisdiction, some of the above limitations may not apply to you.
13. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless KidStories and its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or in any way connected with:
- Your access to or use of the Service
- Your violation of these Terms
- Your violation of any applicable law or the rights of any third party
- Any content you submit to the Service
14. Disputes & Governing Law
14.1 Informal Resolution
Before filing a formal legal claim, you agree to attempt to resolve any dispute informally by contacting us at hello@kidstories.io. We will attempt to resolve the dispute within 30 days.
14.2 Governing Law
These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with applicable laws. For users in the European Union, mandatory consumer protection provisions of your country of residence also apply and take precedence where they provide greater protection.
14.3 EU Users
If you are a consumer located in the European Union, you may also submit complaints to the European Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platform at ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.
14.4 No Class Actions
To the extent permitted by applicable law, you agree that any dispute resolution proceedings will be conducted only on an individual basis and not in a class, consolidated, or representative action. If this provision is found to be unenforceable, the entirety of this Section 14.4 shall be null and void.
15. Changes to These Terms
We may modify these Terms at any time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and notify you via email at least 14 days before the changes take effect for existing users.
Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of changes constitutes your acceptance of the modified Terms. If you do not agree to the modified Terms, you must stop using the Service and cancel any active subscription.