Draft for review - not legal advice - review before use.

Your privacy

This page is for children under 13 who use Studytutor. It tells you what happens to your things, and who can see them. You can read it with a grown-up you trust.

Your tutor is a computer

Your tutor is an AI. That means it's a computer program, not a person. It can get things wrong, so check important things with your teacher or a grown-up.

Who runs Studytutor?

Michael runs Studytutor for a company called Polylabs Research. The company has to look after your things carefully. That's the law.

A grown-up said yes

You can only use Studytutor because your parent or carer said yes. They added you, Michael checked with them, you typed their email address when you first signed in, and they said yes. Only the email address they gave us was ever sent anything.

What we keep

• Your first name and the little picture (icon) you picked.
• Your school year.
• The month and year you were born. We delete this soon after you turn 13.
• Your chats and your marks.
• Photos of your work that you send.
• How much you use Studytutor each day.
• If our safety check is on: how many of your messages it was worried about (not the messages).
• Safety copies (backups) of all this, in case a computer breaks. When something is deleted, it can stay in a backup for up to 14 weeks, and in a locked-away copy for up to a year. Nobody looks at backups.

Who can see what?

• You can see your chats, marks and progress.
• Your parent or carer can see your marks, which topics you've practised, and how much you've used Studytutor each day. Not your chats, and not what time you chat. They can also say whether you can use the microphone (where it's available), change your name or school year, or close your account.
• Michael can see your name, your email address, your school year and how much you use Studytutor. He doesn't read your chats. He'd only look at them if he was worried about your safety, if you told him about a problem, or if you asked him to. Every time is written down.
• If Michael is ever worried about your safety, he may tell someone who can help keep you safe.
• Nobody else using Studytutor can see your chats.

Where your messages go

Your messages and photos go to Anthropic, the company that makes the AI, so it can answer. It's also told your first name, your school year and how you've done before in that subject, so it can help you. It's never told your email address. Anthropic's computers may be in America or other countries.

• Its computers check your messages for safety.
• Most messages are deleted within 30 days.
• If something breaks its rules, it can keep it for longer, up to 2 years.
• If someone uses the AI to try to hurt children, Anthropic can report it.

Your parent or carer helps arrange your approved sign-in address. You can use Google or an email code to sign in. Keep your code to yourself. Your chats are kept on Google's computers in London.

Photos

Only send photos of your work. Never send photos of yourself or anyone else.

The microphone

The microphone only works if your parent or carer has said OK. When you use it, your voice goes to Google in Europe to be turned into words. It isn't kept.

If a reply is wrong or upsets you

Tell a grown-up you trust. You can also press Report under the reply. Michael reads that reply and what you wrote just before it, so he can put it right. His answer shows in Help. Nobody else sees it.

Helping Studytutor get better

We keep a note of which skills you practised and how you did, without your name, so we can make the explanations better for everyone. We never keep what you wrote, and Michael only looks at totals for lots of students. You can untick Helping Studytutor improve in Your account, and we'll delete it.

The help helper

Help has a helper that answers questions about using Studytutor. It's a computer, like the tutor. It doesn't know your name and can't see your chats. Don't tell it things about you.

If the AI says no

If the AI says no to lots of your messages, Michael is told. He might pause your account while he checks.

Our safety check

Michael can switch on a safety check. If it reads your messages, your Before you start screen says so.

• A computer reads each message and photo you send, to look for signs you might not be safe.
• If it's worried, Michael is told what kind of worry it is, but not your words. Then he might look at that chat, to help keep you safe. Every time is written down.
• We keep a count of the messages it was worried about for 90 days, but not the messages themselves. Each time it's worried, and what he does about it, is written in his safeguarding notes.
• The check never pauses your account, and it doesn't tell your parent or carer.
• It's only a computer, and nobody watches it all the time. If you need help, tell a grown-up you trust.

When you turn 13

Your parent or carer won't see your marks any more, unless you choose to share them. You'll be asked once, with an equal choice either way, and you can change your mind later in Your account. Your parent or carer gets an email the month before, and we delete your birth month soon after you turn 13.

Your things are yours

• You can delete any chat.
• You can ask for a copy of your things, or ask us to delete your account. A grown-up can help you email contact@studytutor.co.uk.

Something's not right?

If the name on your account isn't yours, or the grown-up who can see your marks isn't your parent or carer, press Something's not right in Your account (it's on the Before you start screen too). Or tell a grown-up you trust.

If you press That's not my parent or carer, that grown-up can't see your marks or progress any more while Michael checks. You can keep using Studytutor for up to 7 days, but the microphone stays off. If it isn't sorted out by then, your account is paused until it is. Your marks and progress stay safe.

If you need help

The AI can't call anyone or get help for you, and nobody reads your chats as they happen. If you're scared or in danger, tell a grown-up you trust, call 999, or call Childline on 0800 1111. It's free, any time.

If you're unhappy about how we look after your things, tell a grown-up you trust, or email us. You can also tell the ICO. It checks that companies follow the rules about people's information.

There's more on our safety page. Grown-ups can read the page for parents.