Privacy Policy

Effective June 28, 2026 · Tella LLC

Tella creates personalized stories for children. We take your family's privacy seriously — especially when it comes to information about your child. This policy explains what we collect, why we collect it, who we share it with, and what rights you have.

This policy applies to the Tella website (tella.kids) and our mobile applications. By using Tella you agree to this policy. If you are a parent or guardian of a child under 13, please also read our Children's Privacy Policy.

1. Who we are

Tella LLC is a Texas limited liability company. We are the controller of the personal information described in this policy. You can reach us at hello@tella.kids.

2. Information we collect

Account information

  • Your name and email address, used to create and manage your account.
  • Your relationship to the child (e.g., parent, guardian, caregiver).
  • An optional 4-digit admin code you set to protect the account owner profile on a shared device.

Child profile information

  • Your child's first name, age range, and gender — used to personalize story characters and themes.
  • Physical appearance details (skin tone, hair color and style, eye color, general ethnicity) — used to generate a visual character that looks like your child.
  • Emotional profile answers (three short responses about your child's personality) and a list of interests — used to tailor story content and lessons.
  • Your child's favorite color and favorite animal.
  • An optional written note about your child (e.g., a nickname, a current challenge, or a detail you want reflected in stories).

Story and usage data

  • Stories you generate, including the text, images, narration audio, and video scenes we create on your behalf.
  • Which stories you have read, favorited, or deleted, and basic engagement signals (e.g., how far through a story you listened).
  • Story preferences you choose at generation time (tone, theme, duration, custom prompt).

Device and technical data

  • Browser type, operating system, and general device category — used to ensure the app works correctly across devices.
  • Session tokens and authentication cookies — used to keep you securely signed in.
  • Error logs and diagnostic data — used to detect and fix problems.

Payment data

  • Payment transactions are processed by Stripe. We receive a confirmation and subscription status from Stripe but never see or store your full card number. Stripe's privacy policy governs their handling of payment data.

3. How we use your information

  • Personalize stories. The child profile data (name, appearance, interests, emotional profile) is passed to our AI providers each time you generate a story. It is used solely to create content for your family.
  • Maintain your account. We use your email to authenticate you, send transactional messages (account creation, password reset, subscription receipts), and communicate about service changes.
  • Send notifications you opt into. We offer four optional email categories: story-ready alerts, weekly highlights, new features and tips, and news from Tella. You control these in Settings → Notifications and can update them at any time.
  • Improve the service.We use aggregated, anonymized usage data to understand which features are working well and what to build next. Unless you turn off “Help improve Tella” in Settings → Privacy, we may also use the stories generated for your account to improve story quality. We do not build individual behavioral profiles for advertising purposes.
  • Ensure safety and integrity. We monitor for misuse, fraud, and violations of our Terms of Service, and we use this information to enforce them.
  • Comply with law. We may process data to meet legal obligations or respond to valid legal process.

4. AI processing of your data

Tella uses third-party AI services to generate story text, character images, narration audio, and short video scenes. When you request a story, a subset of your child's profile (appearance, name, interests, emotional profile) is sent to these services as part of the generation request. We do not permit these providers to use your data to train their models beyond what is required to process your request, consistent with each provider's data processing agreements with us.

If a prompt or profile detail you provide references real-world material owned by someone else (such as a brand, character, or logo), the Service automatically reinterprets it as original content rather than reproducing it. You are responsible for the information you choose to submit.

AI-generated stories are creative content. We do not guarantee their accuracy or developmental suitability, and parents should always review stories before sharing them with children.

5. How we share information

We do not sell your personal information. We share data only as follows:

  • AI and cloud service providers — to generate stories and run the platform (e.g., cloud storage, AI model providers, narration, video). These providers process data on our behalf under contractual obligations to protect it.
  • Payment processor — Stripe processes payments and receives your billing information. We receive only a confirmation of successful payment and a subscription status token.
  • Email and marketing — Brevo manages our transactional and marketing email. We share your email address and notification preferences so Brevo can send emails on our behalf.
  • Analytics — We use PostHog for product analytics (aggregated usage patterns). PostHog does not receive child profile data.
  • Legal requirements — We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of Tella, our users, or the public.
  • Business transfer — If Tella is acquired or merged, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you before your data is subject to a materially different privacy policy.

6. Children's privacy

Tella is designed for use by parents and guardians, not directly by children. Adults create accounts and provide child profile data on behalf of their children. Children do not submit personal information directly to Tella.

Because our service involves the processing of personal information about children under 13, we have adopted additional safeguards described in our Children's Privacy Policy (COPPA Notice).

7. Data retention

We retain your account and child profile data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we delete or anonymize your personal information within 30 days, except where we are required to retain it for legal or accounting purposes. Generated stories (text, images, narration) are deleted along with the account unless you have explicitly exported them.

Backup copies may persist for up to 90 days after deletion before being permanently purged.

8. Security

We use encryption in transit (TLS) and at rest, role-based access controls, and routine monitoring to protect your information. Sensitive values (like admin codes) are stored as salted hashes and are never recoverable in plaintext. No system is completely immune to attack — please use a strong, unique password and keep your device secured.

9. Your rights and choices

  • Access. You may view and edit your account and child profile information inside the app at any time.
  • Export. You may download a full JSON export of your account and child data in Settings → Account.
  • Correction. You may update any information in your profile directly in the app.
  • Deletion. You may delete your account in Settings → Account, or email us at hello@tella.kids to request deletion of your data and any child data associated with your account.
  • Notification preferences. You may opt out of any non-essential email category at any time in Settings → Notifications or via the unsubscribe link in any marketing email. Transactional emails (receipts, security alerts) are not optional while your account is active.

10. International transfers

Tella LLC is based in the United States. If you use Tella from outside the U.S., your information is transferred to and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your country. By using Tella you consent to this transfer.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy when we add features, change service providers, or when required by law. We will post the revised policy here with a new “Effective” date. For material changes, we will notify you by email or through an in-app notice at least 14 days before the change takes effect. Continued use of Tella after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact us

For privacy questions, data access requests, or account deletion, contact us at hello@tella.kids. We typically respond within 5 business days.