Our Commitment to a Safe Discovery Space
At Surprise Button, safety isn't an afterthought—it's the foundation of everything we build. We believe that for curiosity to flourish, children need a secure environment to explore. This page outlines our content philosophy and the measures we take to protect our young users.
Our Core Safety Principles
These principles guide every decision we make, from content creation to app development.
A Closed Universe
Surprise Button is not a gateway to the open internet. Every piece of content lives on surprisebutton.com. There are no external links, no pop-ups, and no ads. This ensures your child stays within our safe, moderated environment at all times.
Human + AI Review
Every topic and article is reviewed for quality, accuracy, and age-appropriateness. We use AI as a first-pass filter, but every piece of content is ultimately approved by a human reviewer before it can be accessed in the app.
Parent-Guided Age Settings
Parents set their child's age band (e.g., 5-7, 8-10) during setup. This is the most important safety feature, as it ensures the content delivered is appropriate for their developmental stage. We rely on parents to choose the correct setting for their child.
No Profiles for Kids
We never create profiles of children or collect their personal, identifiable information. The app is designed to be an anonymous experience for the child. The only account is the parent's, used solely for the summary emails.
Data for Good, Not Ads
We never sell data or use it for advertising. The anonymous usage data we collect (like which topics are popular) is used for one purpose only: to improve the educational content and overall experience for everyone.
Parent Transparency
The daily summary email is our commitment to transparency. We believe parents should be connected to their child's digital journey. This feature is designed to turn screen time into a bridge for family conversation.
Our Approach to Complex Topics
Education requires acknowledging the complexities of the world. Here’s how we handle topics that may be considered mature, which informs our App Store age rating.
History and Realistic Events
When covering history, it is impossible to avoid topics of conflict or violence. For older age bands (e.g., 11-13, 14-16), we may include content about historical events like wars or social movements. This is always presented in a factual, educational, and non-gratuitous manner, using encyclopedic photos or illustrations where appropriate. This content is not available to younger age bands.
Science and the Human Body
Our science content for older children may include anatomically correct diagrams or discussions of human reproduction. This is always handled from a purely scientific and biological perspective, free of any suggestive context.
Art and Culture
To provide a complete arts education, it is sometimes necessary to show famous works of art that may include nudity (e.g., Renaissance sculptures and paintings). This content is presented in its proper art-historical context and is not available to our youngest users.
Our overall App Store rating reflects the presence of this infrequent, context-appropriate mature content in our library for older users. The parent-controlled age setting is the tool that ensures your child only sees the content that is right for them.