What is StoryBox?
StoryBox is a voice-based storytelling app for children ages 3–12. Your child talks with Yarny, a friendly AI character, and together they create personalized stories. A free preview for parents works without registration — you can talk to Yarny yourself and see how it works. Your child gets access after you create a parent account and complete a quick adult verification.

Is Yarny a real person?
No. Yarny is an artificial intelligence, and StoryBox says so clearly to children in the app. During long sessions Yarny reminds kids to take a break at least every three hours. Our full safety protocol is published at storybox.now/safety.

Why do I have to verify that I'm an adult?
U.S. law (COPPA) requires verifiable parental consent before we collect any personal information from a child under 13. To confirm that permission comes from an adult, we use an independent verification provider — Kids Web Services (KWS), an Epic Games company. You'll receive an email from KWS with a secure link; the check usually takes about a minute.

Why was my card charged $0.05?
The card check works through a small temporary charge of $0.05 that appears on your statement (the merchant shown is Kids Web Services) and is refunded automatically within 8–13 business days. The charge exists so that the verification leaves a trace the cardholder can see. Card details are entered on KWS's secure pages and never reach StoryBox. In the U.S. you can also verify with the last 4 digits of your SSN, checked against records by KWS's partner — StoryBox never receives it.

I didn't get the verification email. What do I do?
Check your Spam and Promotions folders — the sender is Kids Web Services (an address ending in kidswebservices.com). You can resend the email from the app; note there is a limit of 10 requests per hour per email address, and each link is valid for a limited time.

What information do you collect from my child?
Only what's needed for stories: a nickname or first name, age or age range, optionally a few growth qualities you choose, the stories created, and the limited technical information needed to run the app. We never use your child's information for advertising, and we don't sell it. Full details: storybox.now/privacy.

What happens to my child's voice?
When your child speaks, the recording is used only to respond and is deleted immediately — voice recordings are not stored. Text transcripts of what your child said are used only within the current session and are not kept after it ends; stories continue from the saved story text.

Can other people see my child's stories?
While your child's profile is active — only if you choose to turn publishing on. It's off by default (a separate checkbox when you set up your child's profile), and you can turn it off anytime in Parent Controls; turning it off removes the stories from the library. Published stories appear under a pseudonym (not your child's real name) with an illustrated avatar, and every story is checked automatically first — a story that contains personal details is not published. There are no child profiles, no followers, and no messaging in StoryBox. If you delete your child's profile, the stories stay with StoryBox as de-identified content — see the next answer.

How do I see or delete my child's data?
In Parent Controls you can review what we've collected, de-identify individual stories, or delete the entire child profile. Deleting the profile stops collection, deletes your child's personal information, and withdraws your permission. If you want a specific story removed from StoryBox entirely, email hello@storybox.now. You can also withdraw permission by emailing hello@storybox.now.

What stays after I delete the profile?
Your child's personal information and the profile itself are deleted, and so is every link between the stories and your family. The stories themselves stay with StoryBox: they are separated from your child and your account, the pseudonym and the avatar are removed, and StoryBox may keep and publish them as its own content under the "Yarny" label — including stories you never published. Nothing in them points back to your child, and we do not try to reconnect them. If you would rather a particular story not stay, tell us at hello@storybox.now before or after you delete — we will remove it.

Does StoryBox show ads?
No. StoryBox has no advertising and builds no advertising profiles.

Is there a subscription?
The free preview is for grown-ups: it works without registration, and children under 13 cannot use voice in it. It collects no personal information from children; we process only limited technical identifiers (such as an IP address or a session ID) used to run and secure the service — never for ads or profiling. For adults using the preview, voice is processed under our standard adult practices (see the Privacy Policy). Paid features may be offered as an optional subscription through the App Store or Google Play. A subscription is never a condition of — or a method for — giving parental consent.

What if my child says something worrying?
If a conversation touches on self-harm, Yarny pauses the story and shows help resources (in the U.S. — call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline). The full protocol is published at storybox.now/safety.

Who operates StoryBox and how do I reach you?
StoryBox is operated by Evgeny Gortsev, sole proprietor (Buenos Aires, Argentina). Questions, requests, and complaints: hello@storybox.now. Privacy Policy: storybox.now/privacy · Terms: storybox.now/terms · Safety: storybox.now/safety.