Child Safety & Age

1. Who can use Forky

• You must be at least 13 to use Forky, or at least 16 in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.
• If you are under 18 in India, or in any other country that requires it, you need the consent of a parent or guardian, who accepts the Terms of Service on your behalf.
• You must be 18 or over to join the creator program, charge for stories or receive payouts.
• Stories rated 16+ or 18+ are only shown to users whose age meets the rating.

Forky is not directed at children under 13, and the apps are rated accordingly on the App Store and Google Play. If we learn that a user is under the minimum age, we delete the account and its data.

2. How we check age

We ask for your date of birth when you create an account, and before a guest can see any story rated above 13+. We do not let you go back and enter a different date if the first one was too young. We also use signals such as a user’s own statements, reports from other users and moderation review to identify accounts that appear to belong to someone under the minimum age or who has misstated their age. Where the law in your country requires stronger age assurance for certain content, we use the method the law requires, such as the age range provided by your app store or an age-estimation check, before showing that content.

3. Protections for under-18s

For users we know to be under 18:

• stories rated 18+ are hidden, and 16+ stories are hidden from under-16s;
• their profiles are not recommended to adult users, and their stories are not promoted to adults;
• comments on their stories are held for review before they are shown;
• we do not use their data for marketing measurement or share advertising identifiers;
• we do not show them purchase prompts beyond the standard unlock screen, and never countdowns, “limited offers” or similar pressure;
• no private messaging: Forky has no direct-message feature, so adults cannot contact younger users privately through Forky.

Where the law requires a parent or guardian’s consent before we process a young person’s personal data, we ask for it and limit the account until it is given.

4. Zero tolerance for child exploitation

We prohibit child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE) in every form: child sexual abuse material (CSAM), including drawn, animated or AI-generated depictions; sexualised depictions of real minors; grooming; sextortion; sexual solicitation of minors; trafficking; and any attempt to contact a minor for abuse. This applies to stories, comments, profiles and content published to connected social accounts.

When we find such content or conduct, we:

• remove the content and permanently close the account;
• preserve the evidence as the law requires;
• report it to the relevant authorities, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) where applicable, and law enforcement in India and the user’s country;
• use hash-matching technology against known CSAM databases on uploads, and review flagged content with trained staff.

5. Reporting and emergencies

Every story, comment and profile has a Report option, with a “Child safety” category that goes straight to a priority queue. You can also email admin@ethereallabs.in with the subject “Child Safety”. These reports are reviewed by a person within 24 hours, any time of day. You do not need an account to report.

If a child is in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services first. In India you can call Childline on 1098 or report online at cybercrime.gov.in.

6. For parents and guardians

• If your child under 13 has an account, or your teen has one without the consent your country requires, email us with the subject “Child Safety” and we will delete the account.
• You can ask us for a copy of your child’s data, correct it, or delete it. We may ask you to verify that you are the parent or guardian.
• Device-level parental controls (Screen Time on iOS, Family Link on Android) can restrict app downloads, in-app purchases and screen time for Forky.
• Purchases by minors: contact the app store first, then us, so we can review the account.

7. Rules for creators

• Do not publish content that sexualises minors in any way, including fictional characters presented as minors.
• Do not use the likeness or voice of a real minor without their parent or guardian’s written consent, and never in mature content.
• Do not target minors with purchase pressure, and do not ask any user for personal contact details.
• Rate your stories honestly. A story that a reasonable person would consider unsuitable for under-16s must be rated 16+ or higher.

See also the Community Guidelines and the Privacy Policy.