Children’s Data Protection Policy

Effective Date: October 20, 2025
Last Updated: October 20, 2025

Thinktopia, operated by LaClaire., is committed to protecting the privacy and safety of children using our AI-powered educational storytelling platform. This Children’s Data Protection Policy (“Policy”) explains how we handle children’s personal data in accordance with applicable laws including the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), GDPR-K (EU), and PIPEDA (Canada).

1. Purpose and Scope

This Policy applies to all data collected from or about children under the age of 16 (or under 13 where required by law) when using Thinktopia through a parent-managed or teacher-managed account. It supplements our Privacy Policy and provides additional protections for minors.

2. Definitions

"Child" means any individual under the age of 16 (or under 13 under U.S. COPPA regulations).
"Parent" or "Guardian" means the legal caretaker who provides consent for the child’s use of Thinktopia.
"Educator Account" means a teacher or school administrator authorized to manage student profiles under an institutional license.
"Personal Data" means any information that identifies or could reasonably identify a child (e.g., name, age, school, voice recordings, or images).

3. Parental Consent and Verification

We require verified parental or educational consent before collecting any personal data from a child.
Verification methods include:
- Email confirmation from the parent/guardian
- Credit card or payment verification during registration
- Consent forms submitted by authorized school officials
No child may create an independent account on Thinktopia.
Parents and educators can revoke consent or delete accounts at any time by contacting privacy@thinktopia.ca.

4. Information We Collect from Children

We collect the minimum information necessary to operate our Services safely and effectively:

First name or nickname (for personalization)
Age or grade level (to tailor educational content)
Selected themes, interests, and learning preferences
AI-generated stories, images, and activity progress
Parent or teacher contact email (for account oversight)

We do not collect, request, or store:

Exact home addresses
Financial information
Real-time location data
Social media handles or direct communication identifiers

5. How We Use Children’s Data

To personalize stories and educational experiences
To track learning progress and performance within parent or teacher dashboards
To generate AI-based reading and comprehension materials
To improve our platform while maintaining anonymized analytics
To notify parents or educators of important updates, learning reports, or new features

6. Data Storage and Security

All children’s data is stored on encrypted servers located in Canada.
We use industry-standard encryption (TLS 1.3 for data in transit, AES-256 for data at rest).
Only verified parents, guardians, or educators have access to child profiles.
We maintain strict access controls, regular security audits, and intrusion detection systems.

7. Parental Rights and Controls

Parents and guardians have the right to:

Access and review all personal data collected from their child
Request correction or deletion of any child’s data
Withdraw consent and terminate access at any time
Export their child’s generated stories or educational reports before account closure

All such requests can be made through the Thinktopia dashboard or by contacting privacy@thinktopia.ca.

8. Data Retention and Deletion

Children’s profiles and learning data are retained only as long as the parent or teacher account remains active.
Inactive or deleted accounts are anonymized within 12 months and purged from backups within 90 days thereafter.
Upon verified parental request, all identifiable data will be deleted within 30 days.

9. AI Data Ethics and Safeguards

Children’s story prompts are used only to generate requested content and are not reused to train external AI models.
We use AI moderation systems to prevent unsafe or age-inappropriate content.
All AI outputs are logged for quality assurance but remain private to the parent or teacher’s account.

10. Disclosure to Third Parties

We do not sell or rent children’s personal data to any third party.
Limited data may be shared with:
- Secure hosting providers (AWS Canada)
- Email or notification systems (for parental communications)
- Payment processors (for parental subscription management)
All third parties are bound by strict confidentiality and child data protection agreements.

11. School and Educational Use

Teachers and school administrators acting under a school license are considered authorized data controllers under parental delegation.
Schools must ensure that appropriate parental consent is collected before child participation.
Educational use is governed by data-sharing agreements compliant with Ontario’s child privacy laws and PIPEDA.

12. International Transfers

All processing occurs within Canada. If data is accessed or transferred to third-party processors outside Canada (e.g., U.S.-based email providers), we implement Standard Contractual Clauses to ensure equivalent legal protections.

13. Violations and Enforcement

Any suspected violation of this Policy will be investigated promptly.
Accounts found to have intentionally collected or shared child data without consent may be suspended or terminated.
We fully cooperate with privacy regulators and law enforcement when required by law.

10. Contact Information

Thinktopia by LaClaire.
Legal Inquiries: legal@thinktopia.ca
Copyright Claims: support@thinktopia.ca
Support: support@thinktopia.ca

Document Version 1.0 — Last Updated October 20, 2025