Terms of Service

MyStory is a journaling app for parents / guardians to log in their children's academic and extracurricular activities, providing a platform for collaboration with external agencies and registered educational institutions. Collaborating institutions can post education-related activities and certificates on a student's account. In app chat features provide supervised communication between MyStory users and external agencies like mentors and student counselors.

MyStory is currently free to use. Our business model is based on subscription services, institutional partnerships, and advertising shown to adult users. Paid subscription plans and advertising are not live today; they will be introduced in a future release, and sections 8.4 and 10 explain how they will work. MyStory is initially offered in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and India.

MyStory serves multiple user types:

• Students (of any age)
• Educational institutions (schools, colleges, universities)
• External agencies and organisations
• Parents/guardians

3.1 Age Requirements and Parental Consent

There is no minimum age limit for using MyStory.

For users under 18 years of age, a parent or guardian must set up the account on the child's behalf.

We comply with the UK Children's Code (Age Appropriate Design Code), and we follow the children's protection rules that apply in each country where we operate, including the United States, Canada, and India.

Parents/guardians retain control over accounts they create for children under 18.

3.2 Account Responsibility

You are responsible for:

• Safeguarding your account credentials
• All activities that occur under your account
• Ensuring information provided during registration is accurate and current
• Obtaining necessary permissions if setting up accounts for minors
• Overseeing communications between your minor child and vendors on the app
• Supervise and be aware of shared content between your minor child and vendors on the app

4.1 General Prohibitions

You agree not to use the Service:

• For any unlawful purpose or to solicit others to perform unlawful acts
• To violate any international, federal, provincial, or local laws or regulations
• To infringe upon intellectual property rights
• To harass, abuse, insult, harm, defame, slander, disparage, intimidate, or discriminate
• To submit false or misleading information
• To post inappropriate content in journals or communications

4.2 Educational Context

Users must:

• Respect educational institution policies and guidelines
• Maintain appropriate standards of communication
• Report any concerning behavior through our safeguarding procedures

5.1 Our Commitment

We are committed to providing a safe environment for all users, particularly children and young people. Our safeguarding measures include:

• Content monitoring: Automated and manual review systems for inappropriate content
• Reporting mechanisms: Easy-to-use reporting tools for concerning behavior
• Staff training: Our team receives regular safeguarding awareness training
• Incident response: Clear procedures for handling safeguarding concerns
• Record keeping: Appropriate documentation of safeguarding incidents

5.2 Reporting Concerns

If you have concerns about:

• Inappropriate behavior by any user
• Content that may indicate harm or risk to a child
• Potential abuse or exploitation

Please contact us immediately at safeguarding@mystory.global

5.3 Cooperation with Authorities

We will cooperate fully with law enforcement and child protection agencies when required by law or when we believe a child may be at risk of harm.

5.4 We Do Not Verify Users or Credentials

MyStory is a platform, not a vetting service. We do not carry out identity checks, background checks, qualification checks, or criminal record checks on any user, including educational institutions, mentors, tutors, counselors, or agencies. We do not verify certificates, activities, or achievements posted on the Service.

Parents and guardians remain responsible for satisfying themselves about anyone their child interacts with through MyStory. If you believe a certificate or activity posted by an institution is inaccurate or false, please raise it directly with that institution; we are not able to confirm or correct their records. You can still report safety concerns to us at safeguarding@mystory.global.

6.1 Data We Collect

We collect and process the following types of data:

• Personal information (names, emails, contact details)
• Educational data (grades, certificates, academic records)
• Journal/diary content (student writings, reflections)
• Device/technical information (device type, operating system, app version, diagnostic logs)
• Advertising data, for adult account holders only, once advertising is introduced (see section 8.4)

6.2 Legal Basis and Compliance

We comply with:

• UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018
• UK Children's Code (Age Appropriate Design Code)
• The children's protection and privacy laws of the other countries where we operate, including the United States, Canada, and India
• Relevant educational data protection requirements

6.3 Parental Rights

Parents/guardians who set up accounts for children under 18 have the right to:

• Access their child's data
• Request correction or deletion of data
• Control data sharing preferences
• Withdraw consent at any time

Please review our Privacy Policy for detailed information about data handling practices, including what advertising data is processed and how long we keep data.

7.1 User Content

You retain ownership of all content you create and upload to MyStory, including journal entries, reflections, and other personal content. By using our Service, you grant us a limited license to:

• Store, display, and transmit your content as necessary to provide the Service
• Enable sharing with educational institutions and agencies as per your settings
• Create backups and ensure data security

7.2 Platform Rights

The MyStory platform, including its original content, features, functionality, and branding, remains the exclusive property of Harmony International Limited and its licensors.

8.1 Learning Management Systems

We may integrate with educational platforms and learning management systems to enhance your experience. Any such integrations are subject to the terms of service of the respective third-party providers.

8.2 Authentication

If you choose to sign in with Google or Apple, authentication is handled by that provider together with Firebase Authentication, subject to their respective terms.

8.3 Data Export

You may request an export of your data at any time by contacting dataprotection@mystory.global, and we will provide it in a commonly used, machine-readable format.

8.4 Advertising

MyStory does not display advertisements today. In a future release we will show advertisements within the Service, and by continuing to use MyStory you agree that we may do so on the following basis:

• Advertisements are shown only to adult account holders, meaning users who have reached the age of legal adulthood in their country (18, or 16 where that is the local threshold).
• No advertisements are shown to users under 18, and no data about a child's account is used for advertising.
• Advertisements may be general (the same advertisement shown to everyone) or personalised (selected using information about your interests or activity). Personalised advertising is used only where local law allows it or where you have agreed to it.
• Advertisements may be supplied by advertising networks such as Google AdMob, by sponsors, or by partner educational institutions.
• On free accounts, advertisements cannot be switched off. Paid subscribers will be able to adjust their advertising preferences.
• An advertisement appearing in MyStory is not an endorsement by us of the advertiser or of anything advertised.

Our Privacy Policy explains what advertising data is processed and who it is shared with.

Use of MyStory mobile applications is governed by these Terms and the applicable app store terms (Apple App Store, Google Play Store, etc.).

The following provisions apply to the MyStory application downloaded from the Apple App Store (the "Licensed Application").

9.1 Acknowledgement

These Terms are concluded between you and Harmony International Limited only, and not with Apple. Harmony International Limited, not Apple, is solely responsible for the Licensed Application and its content.

9.2 Scope of Licence

The licence granted to you for the Licensed Application is a limited, non-transferable licence to use it on any Apple-branded product that you own or control, as permitted by the Usage Rules in the Apple Media Services Terms and Conditions, except that it may be accessed by other accounts associated with you through Family Sharing or volume purchasing.

9.3 Maintenance and Support

Harmony International Limited is solely responsible for providing any maintenance and support services for the Licensed Application. Apple has no obligation whatsoever to furnish any maintenance and support services in relation to the Licensed Application.

9.4 Warranty

Harmony International Limited is solely responsible for any product warranties, whether express or implied by law, to the extent they have not been effectively disclaimed. If the Licensed Application fails to conform to any applicable warranty, you may notify Apple, and Apple will refund the purchase price of the Licensed Application to you. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Apple has no other warranty obligation whatsoever with respect to the Licensed Application, and any other claims, losses, liabilities, damages, costs, or expenses attributable to any failure to conform to any warranty are the sole responsibility of Harmony International Limited.

9.5 Product Claims

Harmony International Limited, not Apple, is responsible for addressing any claims by you or any third party relating to the Licensed Application or your possession and use of it, including product liability claims, any claim that the Licensed Application fails to conform to any applicable legal or regulatory requirement, and claims arising under consumer protection, privacy, or similar legislation.

9.6 Intellectual Property Rights

In the event of any third-party claim that the Licensed Application or your possession and use of it infringes that third party's intellectual property rights, Harmony International Limited, not Apple, will be solely responsible for the investigation, defence, settlement, and discharge of that claim.

9.7 Legal Compliance

You represent and warrant that you are not located in a country subject to a US Government embargo or designated by the US Government as a "terrorist supporting" country, and that you are not listed on any US Government list of prohibited or restricted parties.

9.8 Developer Name and Contact Details

Questions, complaints, or claims about the Licensed Application should be directed to:

Harmony International Limited, registered in the Isle of Man, Company Number 135072C

legal@mystory.global

9.9 Third-Party Terms

You must comply with any applicable third-party terms of agreement when using the Licensed Application.

9.10 Third-Party Beneficiary

Apple and Apple's subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms, and upon your acceptance of these Terms Apple will have the right, and is deemed to have accepted the right, to enforce these Terms against you as a third-party beneficiary of them.

10.1 Current Pricing

MyStory is currently offered free of charge.

10.2 Future Subscriptions

We intend to introduce paid subscription plans in a future release. When they launch:

• Monthly and annual plans will both be offered.
• Subscriptions bought inside the mobile apps will be billed through the applicable app store's in-app purchase system (Apple App Store or Google Play).
• Subscriptions bought on our website, which are mainly intended for schools and other organisations, will be billed by card through a payment provider.
• The price, billing period, and renewal terms will be shown to you before you subscribe.

10.3 Free Trials

We may offer a free trial period. Where we do, the length of the trial and whether it converts into a paid subscription will be stated clearly before you start it. If a trial converts automatically, we will tell you before it does and you can cancel at any point during the trial without being charged.

10.4 Renewal, Cancellation and Refunds

Subscriptions renew automatically for the same period unless you cancel before the renewal date. You can manage or cancel an app store subscription in your app store account settings, and a website subscription through your MyStory account settings or by contacting us. Refunds for app store purchases are handled under the policies of the app store you bought through. Refunds for website purchases and your statutory consumer rights, including any cancellation or cooling-off rights that apply in your country, are unaffected by this section.

11.1 Termination or Suspension by Us

We may terminate or suspend your account immediately for:

• Terms of service violations
• Illegal activities
• Non-payment of fees
• Extended inactivity
• Inappropriate content in journals
• Violation of educational institution policies
• Service discontinuation/business closure
• False information provided during registration

11.2 Termination by You

You may terminate your account at any time through your account settings or by contacting us.

11.3 What Suspension Means

While an account is suspended, the account holder cannot sign in and cannot read, add to, or export the content in that account, including their own journal entries. The content is not deleted during suspension. If the suspension is lifted, access is restored. If we later close the account, our normal data retention and deletion rules apply. Suspension does not affect your legal rights to access, export, or delete your personal data, which you can exercise at any time by contacting dataprotection@mystory.global.

11.4 Child Accounts

If we suspend or terminate an account belonging to a child, we will notify the parent or guardian who manages that account.

11.5 Appeals

You may ask us to review a suspension or termination. An in-app appeal process is not available yet; until it is, write to legal@mystory.global, and for safeguarding-related decisions to safeguarding@mystory.global. We will review the decision and respond. Some decisions, particularly those taken to protect a child, may not be reversed.

11.6 Effect of Termination

Upon termination:

• Your right to use the Service will stop immediately
• We may retain certain data as required by law or for legitimate business purposes
• Parents/guardians may request deletion of their child's data subject to legal requirements

12.1 Liability Cap

Our total liability to you for all damages shall not exceed the amount you have paid us in the 12 months preceding the incident giving rise to liability.

12.2 What We Never Limit

Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or for anything else that cannot lawfully be limited or excluded. If you are a consumer, your statutory rights are unaffected.

12.3 Excluded Damages

Subject to section 12.2, we shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including without limitation, loss of profits, data, use, goodwill, or other intangible losses.

12.4 Educational Content and Third-Party Disclaimer

While we facilitate connections between students and educational institutions, mentors, student counselors, and external vendors, we do not verify them and do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or quality of educational content or certificates posted by them. We are also not responsible for the products, services, or content of advertisers whose advertisements appear on the Service.

13.1 Governing Law

These Terms shall be interpreted and governed by the laws of the Isle of Man.

13.2 Jurisdiction

Any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of the Service shall be resolved exclusively in the courts of the Isle of Man.

13.3 Alternative Dispute Resolution

Before pursuing court action, we encourage users to contact us directly to resolve disputes amicably.

We reserve the right to modify or replace these Terms at any time. If a revision is material, we will:

• Provide at least 30 days notice prior to new terms taking effect
• Notify users via email and in-app notifications
• For accounts managed by parents/guardians, notify the parent/guardian directly

Continued use of the Service after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the new Terms.

15.1 General Inquiries

For questions about these Terms, please contact legal@mystory.global. Our legal entity is:

Harmony International Limited, registered in the Isle of Man

Company Number: 135072C

15.2 Safeguarding Concerns

For urgent safeguarding concerns: safeguarding@mystory.global

15.3 Data Protection

For data protection inquiries: dataprotection@mystory.global

16.1 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be struck and the remaining provisions shall remain in effect.

16.2 Entire Agreement

These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and Harmony International Limited regarding the use of MyStory.

16.3 No Waiver

Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms will not be considered a waiver of those rights.

By using MyStory, you acknowledge that you have read and understood these Terms of Service and agree to be bound by them.