Tandem: Ethical AI for Kids | Safe, Inclusive, and Engaging
At Tandem, we're tackling the challenges of AI and screen time head-on. Creating an app for preschoolers comes with a huge responsibility: to prioritise children's development, strengthen family bonds, and build technology that families can trust. By holding ourselves to high ethical standards, we ensure our app makes a positive impact on young lives. We have an ethics advisory board and aim to go beyond simple legal obligations to be a leader in this space.
Our Six Core Principles
1. Putting Kids First: Nurturing Young Minds
Every design decision we make is centred around children's healthy cognitive, emotional, and social development. Our app is built to enrich their learning experience by providing interactive, co-reading opportunities that deepen the parent-child bond. We're not here to replace traditional reading; we aim to complement it. Our goal is to make technology that strengthens early connections, and builds language and literacy skills.
2. Privacy and Parental Empowerment: Protecting Your Family
Your family's privacy is our top priority. We strictly comply with regulations like GDPR and guidelines like the ICO's Children's Code. We only collect data essential for enhancing the reading experience or to give you feedback, and will never sell your data. Nor do we send your personal data to external AI services. Transparency and control are at the core: you decide what data is shared, how it's used, and how your child interacts with the app.
3. Fostering Real Human Connections: Building Stronger Bonds
We believe technology should bring families together, not replace their interactions, making stories a shared journey. Tandem isn't just an app; it's a tool for nurturing relationships. Our features encourage co-reading, shared discoveries, and discussions between parents and kids. We want digital experiences to translate into lifelong love for reading—both on-screen and off.
4. Inclusivity: Diverse Stories for Every Child
We strongly believe every child should see themselves in the stories they read. That's why we’re working hard to offer diverse stories that reflect a broad range of cultures, identities, and experiences. Our content is curated to be free from harmful stereotypes, fostering empathy and inclusion. However, we still think we can do better with this so it’s something we’re continuing to work on.
5. Ethical Content: Respecting Creativity
By collaborating with human designers, illustrators, and authors, we want to create stories are vibrant, authentic, and representative. We also fully respect the intellectual property of other creators, ensuring that any content used is properly credited and that contributors are fairly compensated. Emerging AI tools are undeniably disruptive though, and we certainly don’t have all the answers on this one. If you have thoughts/suggestions on how we think about this, please do get in touch.
6. Preparing for the Future of AI: A Responsible Approach
AI is rapidly changing our world, and Tandem is here to help families embrace it thoughtfully. By integrating AI in ways that are positive, transparent, and purposeful, we prepare both children and adults for a future where working alongside intelligent machines is the norm. This isn't just about reading—it's about understanding technology's role in our lives and making it work for us. We see Tandem as a tool that helps children grow up to be confident collaborators in an AI-enabled future.
Ethical Design Matters
Parents and caregivers trust the tools they give their children. An ethical reading app nurtures that trust by aligning with parents' values and ensuring that children's well-being is at the heart of every design choice. This leads to more mindful, intentional engagement with technology, benefiting not just the child and family but society as a whole.
We are in the process of becoming a certified B-Corp, demonstrating our commitment to social and environmental responsibility. Additionally, our independent ethical review board ensures our practices meet the highest standards. Finally, we put a lot of effort into speaking to our users, learning what matters to them and listening to their feedback. If you have any questions, please get in touch.
We place ethics at the centre of our design and operation for one very simple reason: The goal of Tandem is to improve the development and happiness of young children.
