Story Safety

How stories are written

Each story is written by AI, guided by the Sova Method™ and the details you share about your child. We tell the AI exactly how a Sova story should feel: calm, kind, cozy, and shaped to your child's age.

Before a story is sent, a second, automatic AI check reviews it against the rules below. Because stories are written fresh every night, no two are the same, and no person reads them before you do. That's why the rules below matter, why we ask you to read each story first, and why we ask you to tell us if anything slips through.

What every story follows

• Real feelings, gently told, for little ones. Even for children under 8, a good story needs something to matter: a lost bunny at bedtime, a friend who needs help, a promise to keep. Problems feel real, but nothing is frightening. A troublemaker might appear, like a grumpy troll who wants quiet or a mischievous wind that steals hats, but never anyone scary or cruel, and there's no danger or violence. Every story ends with the problem solved, settled and cozy.
• Real adventure for older children. Children 8 and up want stories with some teeth, so their stories can have real stakes: a hero who gets lost, stuck, hurt or in trouble. A story that continues over several nights may end on a cliffhanger, or, if you choose Gentle endings on the Delivery tab of your account, every night ends calm and settled instead. Stories never include graphic violence, cruelty or anything truly disturbing, and every adventure ends with the hero safe at the end of the series.
• Loss, only if you choose it. Some of the best children's books let a beloved character die, so children can feel sadness safely and see that love goes on. If you turn on Stories about loss on the Delivery tab (for ages 6 and up), a story now and then, at most once a month, may include a loss. It's always an invented character, never your real pets or family and never the hero's parents. It happens peacefully and offstage, the story stays on love and remembering, and it ends in comfort and hope. It's off unless you turn it on, and no other story includes death or serious illness.
• Right for their age. Shorter, simpler stories for little ones; richer stories for older children. Ages move up by themselves each year, so stories grow with your child.
• Feelings handled with care. If you share something on your child's mind, like a new school or a new baby, the story offers comfort and reassurance. It never makes the worry bigger.
• Calming by design. The relaxation lives inside the story itself, with short shaded notes to guide your reading. There's nothing for your child to do but listen.
• Touch is always optional. A reading note may invite a gentle touch, like fingertips drifting over your child's hair, only if your child enjoys it. The story flows just as well without it.
• Original characters only. If your child loves a character from a show, movie, book or game, the story creates an original friend inspired by what they love about it (a brave rescue pup, a kind snow princess) rather than using the real character, whose name and look belong to someone else. Wonder the Owl™, our own character, says goodnight to little ones and may star in special series. Some classic characters whose stories are now in the public domain may appear in the future, once we've confirmed they're free to use.
• No ads, no products, no links for children. Stories never sell anything, and they're written to be read aloud by you.

You're always the reader

Sova Stories is made for a parent or caregiver to read aloud. Children never have an account, never log in, and never chat with anyone or anything in Sova Stories. Please read each story yourself before you share it, just as you might preview any book. You can change or skip anything as you read. Our Terms explain that reading stories first is the parent's role.

If something doesn't feel right

If a story includes anything that seems wrong for your child, please tell us through our contact form (choose "My child's stories") or email hello@sovastories.com with the story's title and date. We read every report, use it to improve our story guidelines, and will make it right.

Your child's privacy

• We ask only for what makes a story personal: a first name, age, interests and the people and pets in their world. We never ask for photos, last names, addresses or schools.
• We use this information only to write and deliver your stories. We never sell it or use it for advertising, and our AI provider does not use it to train its models.
• You can delete your child's profile and stories yourself, anytime, from your child profiles.

Read more in our Privacy Policy and Children's Privacy Notice.

Not medical advice

The Sova Method is not a therapeutic method. It's a storytelling method: it takes simple relaxation techniques from different practices, such as hypnotherapy, biofeedback, NLP, guided meditation and ASMR, and layers them into a narrative story that invites relaxation and calm at bedtime. It isn't hypnotherapy, therapy or counseling, and reading a Sova story isn't a session of any of these. It does not hypnotize the child listening or the parent reading. There is nothing clinically curative or therapeutic about it. It isn't medical, psychological or sleep treatment. If you're concerned about your child's sleep, anxiety or wellbeing, please talk with your pediatrician or another qualified professional.