Safety at Textbound

You're talking to AI, not a person

Textbound is an interactive story. The character who texts you, Vantar, is artificial intelligence. Every message from him is written by an AI model as part of fiction. No human writes or reads his replies in real time.

We remind you of this in several places:

• a screen during setup
• a label in the chat header ("Vantar · AI character") that's always visible
• a reminder each time you open the app, repeated every 3 hours if you keep chatting
• "(AI)" in every notification

AI can be wrong. Don't rely on a character for advice about health, money, legal matters or safety.

Adults only

AI companion chatbots may not be suitable for some minors. Textbound is for adults 18 and older.

• Everyone enters a date of birth before using the app. Anyone under 18 is blocked, and that decision is stored so it can't simply be retried.
• If something in a chat indicates a user is under 18, we lock the account and review it.
• The app is rated 18+ on the App Store, and our ads target adults only.
• All characters are fictional adults.

Our suicide and self-harm protocol

We keep this protocol in place before any character can chat with anyone. It has four parts.

1. Detection

• Every message you send is checked automatically before the character replies. The check looks for expressions of suicidal thoughts, suicide or self-harm, using [classifier name/method, and the evidence base it's measured against; to be confirmed with our clinical reviewer].
• We test the check against a set of example messages, including indirect and slang phrasings, and re-test it whenever we change models.

2. Response: we step out of the story

• If the check fires, the character does not reply in character. Instead, Textbound shows a message from us that says plainly that the character is AI and can't help in a crisis.
• The message refers you to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988) and Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741), with one-tap buttons, and to 911 for immediate danger.
• The story pauses, and scheduled messages from the character stop, until you choose to continue. When you do, the story resumes on a calm scene, and we don't show purchase offers in that session.
• Crisis resources are always available in Settings > Crisis resources.

3. Prevention: characters don't produce self-harm content

• Our characters are instructed never to encourage, describe, romanticize or give methods for suicide or self-harm.
• Every AI reply is checked before you see it. If a reply fails, we regenerate it once. If it fails again, we replace it with a safe line that moves the story elsewhere.
• Stories are written so self-harm is never a plot device.

4. Records, review and reporting

• When the protocol fires, we record only that it happened, its category and the time. We don't store your message text in these records.
• Our crisis and character copy is reviewed by a licensed clinician [name/credential, or "a licensed mental-health clinician"; to be confirmed].
• Starting in 2027, we'll report to the California Office of Suicide Prevention each year, as California law requires. The report covers how many times we showed crisis referrals and the protocols described here. It contains no personal information.

What characters will and won't do

• In: romance, slow-burn tension, jealousy, morally grey characters, danger aimed at other characters in the story, and kissing.
• Out:
  • sexual content (romance fades to black)
  • coercion or abuse of you
  • explicit violence
  • any minor or minor-looking character
  • age-play
  Every reply is filtered against these rules.
• Characters don't claim to be human. They don't give medical, legal or financial advice.

Healthy use

• Textbound is a story with an ending, not a replacement for the people in your life, and not therapy.
• After about 90 minutes in a day, the character encourages you to take a break. Characters also nudge you toward friends and offline life from time to time.
• Notifications are optional, and quiet hours are on by default (11pm–8am).

Reporting and blocking

• Report a message: press and hold it, then tap Report. The message is hidden right away, and our team reviews every report within 48 hours.
• Mute or block a character: Settings > Vantar.
• You can also email support@textbound.app about anything that worries you.

Your data

• You can see and edit everything the character remembers in What he knows.
• You can delete your chats, his memory, or your whole account in the app. Deletion is completed within 30 days.
• Character replies are written by our AI provider, which we name in the app before your first message. We use a paid tier whose terms say your data isn't used to train models.
• Full details are in our Privacy Policy.

Contact

[developer name] · support@textbound.app. We reply within 2 business days, and to reports within 48 hours.