The story you read can be heard by thousands of blind children.

Terms and Conditions of Use
Bedtime Donations App
Operated by: The Royal Society for Blind Children (RSBC)
Developed in partnership with: Innocean Berlin
Effective Date: 24/9/2025
Version: 1.0
Hey there! This app helps children who are blind or have trouble seeing to listen to bedtime stories. If you’re a kid, a grown-up needs to help set this up for you. We don’t collect your name or personal information. Everything is safe, and made to help children like you. If you have questions, ask your grown-up or visit our help page.
1. DEFINITIONS
For the purposes of these Terms and Conditions (“Terms”), the following definitions shall apply: • “App” refers to the Bedtime Donations mobile application, including all features, content, and services offered therein. • “We”, “Us”, or “Our” refers to The Royal Society for Blind Children (RSBC), a registered charity under UK law. • “User”, “You”, or “Your” refers to the individual using the App, including both Donate and Listen users. • “Child User” refers to any user under the age of 18. • “Responsible Adult” or “Guardian” refers to a parent or legal guardian who accepts these Terms on behalf of a Child User. • “Donate Mode” is a feature that allows Users to record readings of public domain stories. • “Listen Mode” is a feature that makes audio versions of these stories accessible to visually impaired and blind children. • “Recording” means any audio content created and submitted by Users in Donate Mode. • “Content” refers to all text, audio, software, scripts, and other materials made available through the App. • “Child” refers to an individual under the age of 18.
2. ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS
By downloading, accessing, or using the App, you affirm that: • You are at least 18 years old, or you are under 18 with parental/guardian consent. • You have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by these Terms. • You consent to the processing of your data in accordance with our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any provision of these Terms, you must immediately cease using the App and uninstall it from your device.
3. PURPOSE AND NATURE OF THE APP
The App is a digital platform designed for charitable and educational purposes. It enables users to: • Record readings of copyright-free children’s stories sourced from Project Gutenberg (Donate Mode); • Donate these recordings for redistribution to visually impaired and blind children (Listen Mode); • Enjoy a safe, inclusive and accessible storytelling environment designed in compliance with WCAG AAA standards. Commercial use of the App or its content is strictly prohibited.
4. ELIGIBILITY AND AUTHORITY TO ACCEPT TERMS
This App is intended for use by children, including those under the age of 18, but must be downloaded, installed, and configured by a parent or legal guardian. By accepting these Terms, you affirm that you: • Are at least 18 years old; • Are the parent or legal guardian of the child(ren) who will use the App; • Consent to the use of the App by the child(ren); • Agree to these Terms on their behalf and assume full responsibility for the child's use of the App. RSBC reserves the right to refuse access or remove content if eligibility criteria are violated.
5. USER ACCOUNTS & DEVICE PERMISSIONS
You are not required to create an account. However, use of certain features. requires granting permissions, including: • Microphone access for audio recording; • Speech recognition for accessibility enhancement; • Storage access to save and upload recordings. You agree to provide only accurate and lawful information when interacting with the App.
6. PARENTAL CONSENT AND RESPONSIBILITY
Use of this App by any Child User under the digital age of consent (which is 13 in the UK, and between 13–16 in the EU depending on jurisdiction) requires verifiable parental or legal guardian consent. If the App is used within a country where the applicable age of digital consent is higher than 13, the Responsible Adult confirms that they meet that local legal threshold. As a Responsible Adult, you: • Acknowledge and approve your child’s use of the App; • Consent to the processing of any recordings or related metadata your child may generate; • Accept legal responsibility for all activity undertaken by the Child User; • Understand that all recordings are for non-commercial, charitable use; • Agree that no personally identifiable data should be shared by the child. • Agree to supervise and protect the child’s personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy and the children’s safeguarding principles outlined in Section 10.
7. USER-GENERATED CONTENT: LICENSE & CONSENT
When you submit a Recording, you agree to the following: 7.1 Ownership and Rights. • You retain ownership of your voice and the recording. • You grant RSBC a worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive, irrevocable, perpetual license to use, reproduce, distribute, adapt, publish, and transform your Recording into derivative works (including AI-assisted processing). • You waive any moral rights of attribution and integrity in connection with the Recording, to the extent permitted by law, and agree not to object to any adaptation, modification, or use of the Recording made for accessibility or charitable purposes. 7.2 Legal Responsibility. By submitting a Recording, you confirm that: • The story read is in the public domain; • You have the right to record and donate the content; • No personal or sensitive information (e.g., names of minors, home addresses) is included in the recording; • You understand that the recording may be made publicly accessible to children via Listen Mode. • You understand and agree that all recordings are donated for non-commercial, charitable purposes only, and shall not be monetized or sold in any form.
8. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
8.1 App Content. All trademarks, logos, designs, and original software/code are the intellectual property of RSBC and its partners. Unauthorized use is prohibited.< 8.2 Copyright and Usage Rights for Recordings • By uploading an audio recording created by the User, the user transfers all transferable copyright usage rights exclusively and irrevocably to the operator of the app, without any geographical, temporal, or content-related limitations. This transfer specifically includes, but is not limited to, the right to reproduce, publicly make available, edit, store, archive, and replay the audio recording within the app and related media (such as website or other forms of audio-delivery services), as well as the right to use it for public and private presentations for charitable purposes. • The User explicitly waives their right to be named as the author and agrees not to demand any remuneration or other financial compensation for the transfer of these usage rights. • The User guarantees that they are the sole author of the audio recording, that it is free from any third-party rights (e.g. that they have not used any music, sound effects or other third-party audio elements), and that they have the unrestricted authority to transfer these rights.
9. ACCESSIBILITY & INCLUSIVITY
We are committed to making the App fully inclusive and accessible. Design and development were carried out with expert guidance to ensure:
• WCAG Level AAA compliance; • Minimum color contrast ratio of 7:1; • Screen reader compatibility (iOS/Android); • Simplified fonts and visual layouts; • Voice navigation where applicable.
10. CHILDREN’S DATA & SAFEGUARDING
We do not knowingly collect or store personal data from children under the age of 13. Where any interaction involves a minor: • Parental/legal guardian consent is required; • Any data collected shall comply with the UK GDPR and the Children’s Code (UK Age Appropriate Design Code); • No identifiable data shall be processed or published. We strongly advise parents to supervise all child interactions with the App.
11. AI PROCESSING & QUALITY CONTROL
All recordings are reviewed and processed using safe, non-invasive AI technologies that: • Analyze audio quality; • Normalize sound levels; • Check for content suitability; • Preserve the original voice unless explicitly transformed. We reserve the right to exclude recordings that do not meet our internal editorial and accessibility standards.
12. PROHIBITED CONDUCT
Users shall not: • Submit defamatory, harmful, abusive, or otherwise inappropriate content; • Upload copyrighted material not in the public domain; • Use the App to collect data from others; • Interfere with the App’s operation or security; • Attempt to reverse-engineer, tamper, or resell any part of the App or its content.
13. PLATFORM USAGE POLICIES
This App is subject to the terms of Apple’s App Store and Google Play: • Use of the App must not violate either platform’s Developer Program Policies. • Refunds and support are governed by App Store or Play Store rules, depending on platform. • This App does not include in-app purchases, advertising, or user tracking. It complies with the platform policies of Apple’s App Store and Google Play, including rules concerning apps designed for children.
14. TERMINATION
We may suspend or terminate your access to the App: • If you breach these Terms; • If required by law; • For operational or maintenance reasons. You may stop using the App at any time and uninstall it from your device. Upon termination, the license granted under Section 6 remains in effect.
15. DISCLAIMERS
• The App is provided “as is” and “as available” without any warranties. • RSBC makes no guarantees regarding the availability, reliability, or accuracy of content or features. • Use of the App is at your own risk.
16. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
To the fullest extent permitted by law: • RSBC, its partners, and contributors shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the App; • This includes data loss, emotional distress, or any disruption to service. • RSBC shall not be held liable for any misuse of the App by a Child User. The Responsible Adult is solely accountable for the supervision, conduct, and safety of the Child User while using the App.
17. MODIFICATIONS TO THE TERMS
We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. Changes will be communicated: • Via in-app notice; • Or by updating the date at the top of this document. Continued use of the App after changes constitutes your acceptance.
Privacy Policy of RSBC