Content Ratings

How ratings work

Every story has one rating, set by the writer and checked by our editors before the story is published. Your date of birth decides which ratings you can see, so a reader never has to choose between a story and their safety settings. Ratings are our best judgment of the most intense content in a story. They are a guide, not a promise that a story suits every reader of that age, so please also read the content warnings.

Readers under 13 see Kids only stories. Readers aged 13 to 17 see Teens only and Teens+ stories. Readers aged 18 and over see Teens+ and Adult only stories. Kids only stories are hidden from teens and adults, and Teens only stories are hidden from kids and adults.

Kids only (under 13)

Written for children. Gentle peril only, with no strong language and no romance beyond innocent friendship. There is no gore, no scary imagery that lingers, and no references to drugs, alcohol or self-harm. Shown only to readers under 13 and hidden from teens and adults.

Kids only stories are free. Kids accounts have no ads, comments, ratings, push notifications, coins or purchases.

Teens only (13 to 17)

Written for teenagers. Moderate peril and conflict, some strong language, and romance without explicit content. Difficult topics such as grief, bullying or loss may appear and are handled with care. Shown only to readers aged 13 to 17 and hidden from kids and adults.

Teens+ (13 and over)

Suitable for teens and adults. Moderate peril and violence, some strong language, romance without explicit content, and more serious themes. Shown to readers aged 13 and over and hidden from kids. Adults can choose to limit their whole library to Teens+ in Profile.

Adult only (18 and over)

Adult themes and content, including stronger violence, strong language, mature relationships and darker subject matter. Adult only stories may contain sexual content, but never involving minors, and never in a way that breaks our Community Guidelines or Child Safety standard. Shown only to readers aged 18 and over.

Content warnings

Beyond the rating, writers add warnings for specific things readers may want to avoid, such as violence, abuse, self-harm, death or sexual content. Warnings appear on the story page, and a chapter can carry its own. The warnings available depend on the rating. A Kids only story cannot carry warnings that are only allowed for older readers.

How we check ratings

• Editors review every story’s rating and warnings before it is published.
• We automatically flag stories whose content appears to be stronger than their rating, and an editor reviews them.
• Readers can report a story they think is misrated using the report button on the story page.

What happens to a misrated story

If a story is rated lower than its content, we may re-rate it, add warnings, hide it, or remove it, and we may suspend repeat offenders. Re-rating can move a story out of a reader’s library if it is no longer appropriate for their age.

Changes

We may refine these definitions as we learn. If a change affects what you can see, we will tell you in the app.