Our commitment to children's privacy
Syllable Smash is built to be safe for learners of all ages. We take children's privacy seriously and are committed to full compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and applicable state laws.
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No ads. Ever.
We never display advertising to any user — child or adult.
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No data selling
We never sell, rent, or share personal information with third parties for commercial purposes.
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Parental control
Parents and guardians create and manage accounts for children under 13.
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Right to delete
Parents can request deletion of their child's data at any time.
📋 What is COPPA?
The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) is a U.S. federal law that requires websites and online services to protect the privacy of children under 13 years of age. COPPA requires operators to:
- Obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13
- Give parents control over what information is collected from their children
- Maintain the confidentiality and security of children's information
- Not condition a child's participation in an activity on disclosing more information than is reasonably necessary
👧 How Syllable Smash Handles Users Under 13
Syllable Smash is a literacy tool designed for users of all ages. Here is how we handle accounts for children under 13:
- Children under 13 cannot create their own accounts
- A parent or legal guardian must register an account on behalf of their child
- By registering for a child, the parent or guardian provides verifiable parental consent
- The account is associated with the parent or guardian's email address — not the child's
- We collect only the minimum information necessary to provide the service: an email address and password
📧 If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has registered independently without your consent, contact us immediately at chapmancorner@gmail.com and we will delete the account promptly.
📦 What Information We Collect — and Why
We collect only what is necessary to provide the service. For all users including those under 13:
- Email address — to create and manage the account, send receipts, and enable password resets. This is associated with the parent or guardian, not the child.
- Password — stored in hashed form. We never see or store your plain-text password.
- Usage data — which word lists are accessed, used only to improve the product. This data is not tied to personal identity.
We do not collect: names, physical addresses, phone numbers, photos, videos, audio recordings, geolocation data, or any other personal information beyond what is listed above.
👪 Parental Rights
Parents and guardians of children under 13 have the following rights at any time:
- Review the personal information we have collected from their child
- Correct any inaccurate information
- Request deletion of their child's personal information and account
- Refuse further collection or use of their child's information by contacting us
- Withdraw consent at any time by cancelling the account
To exercise any of these rights, email chapmancorner@gmail.com from the email address associated with the account. We will respond within 5 business days.
🚫 What We Never Do
- We never display advertising of any kind to any user
- We never sell personal information to third parties
- We never share personal information with advertisers or marketing companies
- We never use children's data for any commercial purpose beyond operating the service
- We never require children to disclose more information than is necessary to use the service
- We never enable children to make their personal information publicly available
🏫 For Schools and Teachers
When Syllable Smash is used in a school setting, we operate in compliance with FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) as well as COPPA.
- Teachers use Syllable Smash as a display tool — students do not create accounts
- No student personal information is submitted to or stored by Syllable Smash during classroom use
- Schools may act as an intermediary on behalf of parents for COPPA consent purposes in accordance with FTC guidance
🏫 Need a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) or COPPA consent documentation for your school or district? Email us at chapmancorner@gmail.com and we'll provide it.
🔐 How We Protect Children's Information
- All data is transmitted over encrypted HTTPS connections
- Passwords are hashed using industry-standard encryption
- Access to personal data is restricted to only what is necessary to operate the service
- Payment processing is handled by Stripe (PCI-DSS compliant) — we never see card details
- We review our privacy and security practices regularly
✏️ Changes to This Statement
We may update this COPPA Compliance Statement from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. When we make material changes, we will update the date at the top of this page and notify registered users by email.
Continued use of Syllable Smash after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated statement.