Terms of use

Welcome to the village. These terms of use (“Terms”) govern your use of the Familou website and services. By creating an account or using Familou, you accept these Terms. Please read them: they exist so that the village stays a safe and kind place for all families.

1. Purpose

These Terms set out the rules for accessing and using Familou (the “service”): reading content, taking part in The Square, the address book, messaging and, where applicable, the subscription. They apply to every visitor and every member. Publisher and hosting details are on a dedicated page; the processing of your data is described in our privacy policy.

2. The Familou service

Familou brings back a “village” of mutual help between parents: knowledge, news, a mutual-help forum (The Square), an address book and, if you wish, messaging and a supporting subscription. Access to the essentials is free. The content is informational and for mutual help; it does not replace the advice of a professional (doctor, paediatrician, etc.). In an emergency, call 144.

3. Registration and account

Some features (asking a question, answering, posting a good address, sending a message) require a free account.

  • You must be at least 16 years old to create an account. Minors under 16 may use Familou with the consent and under the responsibility of a parent or legal guardian.
  • You agree to provide accurate information and to keep it up to date.
  • Your account is personal: you are responsible for keeping your credentials confidential and for actions taken from your account. Let us know of any unauthorised use.
  • An account must correspond to a real person; impersonation is prohibited.

Creating an account implies acceptance of these Terms and of the privacy policy.

4. Code of conduct

The village is built on respect. By taking part, you agree not to post content that is:

  • illegal, hateful, discriminatory, violent, harassing or an affront to the dignity of others;
  • abusive, insulting or hurtful towards other parents;
  • spam, advertising or unsolicited commercial solicitation;
  • misleading or dangerous, in particular false information that could harm a child’s health or safety;
  • an infringement of others’ privacy (personal data, photos of third parties without their consent);
  • an infringement of intellectual property rights.

Stay on topic, be kind, and don’t pit families against each other. Familou is a space for mutual help, not judgement.

5. Your content

You remain the owner of the content you post (questions, answers, comments, ratings, good addresses, messages, photos). By posting it, you grant Familou a non-exclusive, free licence to host, display and distribute it within the service, for as long as needed to operate it. You warrant that you hold the necessary rights to what you post. When you delete your account, your contributions may be kept anonymously (attributed to “Deleted user”) so as not to break the exchanges others took part in — see the privacy policy.

6. Moderation and sanctions

To protect the village, content may be moderated. Any member can report content (spam or advertising, abusive content, off-topic). Content reported by several parents may be automatically set aside pending review. In the event of a breach of these Terms, we may, depending on the seriousness: remove content, close a discussion, issue a warning, restrict certain features, suspend or delete an account. These measures aim to preserve a safe space; they give rise to no compensation.

7. Subscription and payment

Familou offers an optional subscription that unlocks access to all in-depth knowledge and helps the village stay independent.

  • Plans: monthly or yearly (the same access either way), in Swiss francs (CHF). The current price is shown on the subscription page.
  • Payment: by card or TWINT, via our provider Stripe. With a card, the subscription renews automatically at each term. With TWINT, it is a one-off payment with no automatic renewal; we let you know before it expires.
  • Stopping renewal: you can stop renewal at any time from your member space. Your access stays open until the end of the period already paid.
  • Changing plan: switching from monthly to yearly (or vice versa) takes effect at the next renewal; nothing is charged immediately.
  • Refunds: the subscription period already paid is not refunded, including if you delete your account during the period. There is no right of withdrawal for this digital service provided immediately. You keep control through stopping renewal.

8. Intellectual property

The “Familou” name, the logo, the editorial texts, the illustrations and all elements of the service are protected and remain the property of the publisher. Any reproduction or reuse without permission is prohibited. This protection does not extend to content posted by members, which remains theirs.

9. Availability and liability

We do our best to offer a reliable service, but it is provided “as is”, without any guarantee of continuous availability or freedom from error. Familou cannot be held liable for content posted by members, nor for decisions you make on the basis of information found on the site. Links to external sites may be offered; their content is the sole responsibility of their publishers.

10. Personal data

The processing of your data is described in our privacy policy, which forms an integral part of these Terms.

11. Term, termination and account deletion

These Terms apply for as long as you use the service. You can delete your account at any time from your member space, immediately or on a scheduled date (cancellable). We may suspend or close an account in the event of a breach of these Terms. Deleting an account does not entitle you to a refund of an ongoing subscription.

12. Changes to the Terms

We may update these Terms to reflect changes to the service or the law. The date of the last update is shown at the top of this page; your continued use of the service constitutes acceptance of the version in force.

13. Applicable law and jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by Swiss law. To the extent permitted by law, the place of jurisdiction is the publisher’s domicile, in Switzerland.

14. Contact

A question about these Terms? Write to us via the contact page or at [TO BE COMPLETED — contact email]. See also our legal notice.