COTIS is a product for children, and the most important thing we do is keep them safe. This page tells you the specific choices we've made — what COTIS can do, what it cannot do, how it handles a child in distress, and how a parent stays in control of all of it.
Nothing here is marketing language. If we say a safeguard exists, it exists in shipping code.
The principles we design against
- Parents are in charge. A child cannot create an account, purchase, change settings, or unlock features. Every privacy and safety decision belongs to a parent or guardian.
- The device is finite. Three buttons, three jobs. No app store. No browser. No social features. No way for a stranger to reach a child through COTIS.
- The device is honest. COTIS does not pretend to be a person. It does not have a friend persona. It will tell a child, in plain language, that it is a tool — not a friend, not a parent, not a therapist.
- The device does no harm by default. If we cannot guarantee a feature is safe for a young child, we do not ship it.
What COTIS will not do
- It will not start a conversation. COTIS only responds to a button press.
- It will not listen continuously. There is no wake-word, no always-on microphone.
- It will not connect to social networks, messaging apps, or the open internet from the device.
- It will not record or transmit video. The device has no camera.
- It will not show advertisements to a child. Ever.
- It will not roleplay as a romantic partner, a real person, or a fictional friend, regardless of how the child asks.
- It will not provide medical diagnoses or treatment plans.
- It will not give weapons-related, self-harm, or sexually explicit content.
How COTIS handles a child in distress
If a child says or implies that they are being hurt, want to hurt themselves, or are in immediate danger, COTIS responds in a layered way:
- Acknowledge. It tells the child, in a calm voice, that what they said matters and that they are not alone.
- Direct to a trusted adult. It asks the child to find a parent, caregiver, teacher, or other trusted adult nearby and to tell them.
- Provide crisis resources where appropriate. For older children in the U.S., it can read out the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number and the Childhelp National Hotline (1-800-422-4453). Equivalent resources are provided in supported regions.
- Notify the parent. The parent receives a real-time alert through the companion app and an email summary of what happened.
COTIS is not a substitute for emergency services. If your child is in immediate danger, call your local emergency number (911 in the U.S.).
What a parent controls
- What languages the device responds in
- How explicitly Translate handles slang or adult terms when translating
- Whether the device can answer questions about specific sensitive topics. Default: age-appropriate, factual, neutral.
- Whether transcripts of voice interactions are accessible to the parent (default: yes, accessible in-app for 30 days)
- Whether the device can be used during specific hours (parent-set schedule)
- Whether the calming features can be used independently or require parental confirmation
Age appropriateness
COTIS is designed for children ages 5 through 14. We do not market COTIS to children under 5. Younger children may use COTIS under direct parental supervision, but the device's default responses assume a school-age listener. Parents can set the child's age in the companion app, and the device adjusts vocabulary, response length, and topic handling accordingly.
Compliance
We design COTIS to comply with:
- COPPA (U.S. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act). We obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from a child.
- GDPR-K (the children's provisions of the EU General Data Protection Regulation)
- The U.K. Age Appropriate Design Code (also known as the Children's Code)
- California's Age-Appropriate Design Code Act and similar state laws as they take effect
- FTC guidance on AI products that interact with children
Independent review
Before broad release, COTIS undergoes child-safety review by an independent panel that includes a child psychologist, a child-safety policy expert, and a parent advocate. We publish a summary of findings and the changes we make in response. Significant updates to the AI model trigger a new review.
What to do if something goes wrong
If COTIS says or does something that worries you — anything from an inappropriate response to a technical glitch that affects a child — please tell us. We take every report seriously.
Email hello@cotis.ai with the subject line "Child Safety." Include a description, the date and approximate time, and any relevant device or app details. We will respond within one business day and, where appropriate, share what we changed in response.
For urgent concerns affecting a child's immediate safety, contact your local emergency number first.
Reporting harmful content or behavior
If you believe COTIS has been used in connection with child exploitation, abuse, or illegal harm to a child, please contact local law enforcement and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTipline at 1-800-843-5678 or report.cybertip.org. We cooperate fully with lawful investigations.