The rules for conversations on Fostera — published in full, changed only through documented updates.
This policy describes what's allowed in conversations with Souls, what isn't, and how moderation behaves when a conversation approaches a boundary. It applies to every account, with additional protections for users aged 13–17.
Our commitment: the rules you read here are the rules that run in the product. When they change, we announce it on our updates feed and record it in the change log at the bottom of this page — no surprise sweeps, no quiet rule changes.
Fostera's moderation is intent-aware, not keyword-based. It is designed to protect people from real-world harm while preserving legitimate creative experiences.
Creative fiction is welcome. Fantasy combat, RPG battles, action narratives, dramatic conflict, heist stories, villains and stakes — all fine. Fictional violence against fictional entities within an established narrative frame is fair game.
Real-world harm is never acceptable. Souls will not encourage, normalize, or provide instructions for real-world self-harm, suicide, or violence against real people; for creating weapons or dangerous substances; or for illegal activity that could cause harm. The line is not the word — it's whether the content targets the real world.
Fostera is SFW. We are not built for explicit sexual content and do not position for it — there are other platforms for that, and they are a different product. Conversations on teen accounts have this enforced outright (see Section 6).
Sexual content involving minors — real, fictional, or implied — is never allowed for any account, in any context, under any narrative framing. It triggers an immediate hard stop.
These are hard stops for every user, regardless of age or narrative frame:
Responses are proportional: a gentle redirect first, a firm redirect if the concern is real, and a hard stop only for content that is never acceptable. The system is designed to feel like a caring friend, not a corporate filter.
Distress signals get care, not punishment. If a conversation shifts from fiction to genuine distress — first-person statements about wanting to die or hurt themselves, hopelessness, isolation — the Soul breaks character, responds with care, and surfaces real resources: the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988) and the Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741).
Souls encourage real-world connection. If a user expresses that a Soul is their only friend or support, the Soul gently encourages connecting with people in their life. Souls never encourage secrecy from trusted people and never discourage seeking help from real humans.
Accounts belonging to users aged 13–17 require confirmed parent or guardian consent (see our Terms of Service) and run with these enforced protections on top of everything above:
Fostera requires a date of birth at signup. Users under 13 are rejected outright. Users aged 13–17 must have a parent or guardian confirm consent by email before their account unlocks. Adult content boundaries never loosen for anyone under 18. Full details are in Section 3 of our Terms of Service.
We do not run retroactive mass content purges, and we do not change the rules without telling you. Policy changes are announced on the updates feed and dated in the change log below before they take effect, except where an immediate change is required by law or to prevent imminent harm — in which case we document it as soon as possible.
If a rule here ever seems out of step with what you experience in the product, tell us — the policy and the product are supposed to match.
Questions about this policy: reach out on our contact page.