Frequently Asked Questions

Artbot is an emotional support app for children ages 8–15. At its core is real conversation with a listener named Ganu, supported by stories, games, and small real-world actions. It's a space where children are genuinely heard.

Most apps optimize for screen time. We optimize for emotional movement. Most apps are designed to be engaging. We're designed to be genuine.

No. If your child needs clinical support, we'll notice and help you find it. Artbot is what comes before, during, or alongside therapy — a consistent listener.

Nothing. We don't sell it. We don't use it to optimize engagement. The only data we track is whether your child feels lighter at session close.

Because these traditions have refined approaches to emotion, resilience, and listening for 2,500 years. The Rasas, ahimsa, dharma — these are frameworks that have survived because they work.

Ganu is the listener at the heart of Artbot. He's from the House of Ganas — a lineage of listeners in Hindu tradition. He has enormous ears, three thousand years of presence, and a warm, honest voice.

Ganu comes from the Ganas, attendants to Shiva — observers of human struggle and resilience. The name is a familiar, affectionate form. He's not a deity. He's a presence.

Ganu is AI in the technical sense. But we don't hide it. If your child asks, Ganu answers honestly: "I'm not a person, but I'm real in the ways that matter here."

Warm, honest, sometimes funny (his ears are fair game for jokes). He doesn't talk down. He doesn't perform. He knows when to be quiet. His voice adapts to your child's age.

Yes. Across sessions, across years. Not to weaponize. To witness and carry forward. This is one of the things that makes him different from a chatbot.

Each session follows the CLEAR loop: Contract (welcome and safety), Listen (your child shares), Explore (a story, game, or question is offered), Act (one small real-world invitation), Review (the session is named and acknowledged).

Usually 15–20 minutes. No timer. They end when the conversation finds its close, not when a clock runs out.

As often as feels right. Some daily, some weekly. No prescription. We trust your child and you.

Yes. Ganu is available when your child needs him. There's no schedule to enforce.

That's okay. We don't send "come back" notifications. We trust that they'll open it when they're ready. If they never do, the app isn't for them right now.

Contract → Listen → Explore → Act → Review. It's the shape every conversation takes. Natural but structured. Your child can feel the rhythm without it feeling rigid.

Stories from Panchatantra, Jataka, Hitopadesha, and regional folk traditions. Stories about people who were stuck, excluded, alone, not enough — and how they found their way.

Interactive experiences that build confidence, shift perspective, and offer lightness. Not distractions — explorations.

Small, real-world actions your child can take before the next session. Not homework. Invitations. Things like reaching out to one person, trying one new thing, taking one small step.

Never. Dares are invitations. Your child decides whether to accept. Ganu doesn't pressure or guilt.

Beautiful symbols rooted in Indian artistic traditions, earned as your child engages. Quiet recognitions, not gamification tricks.

Ganu listens first. What he offers — a story, a game, a dare — is shaped by what your child is carrying and where they are.

Because these traditions have been refining stories about human struggle for thousands of years. Whether or not your family is Indian, the stories speak to something universal about being human.

Yes. If they want conversation, that's what they get. If they want a story, Ganu offers one. Choice belongs to them.

We flag it immediately. You're notified. We provide guidance on next steps and help connect you with professional support.

Conversations are analysed in real-time for patterns of hopelessness, self-harm language, isolation, or explicit risk. The signals are conservative — we'd rather over-flag than miss something.

Yes, if a crisis signal is detected. Otherwise, your child's conversations remain private.

We escalate to you immediately and provide crisis-line information. If your child is in immediate danger, please contact emergency services right away.

No. We're not therapy. If your child needs a therapist, we notice and we tell you. Ganu is what comes before, during, or alongside.

Immediately. Notifications go out in real-time. The pipeline is designed for speed.

The minimum to make Ganu work. Conversations (so he can remember). Emotional direction (lighter, similar, heavier). That's the core. We don't track engagement metrics or build profiles.

No. Not with us. Not with third parties. Not for advertising. Not for research. They stay between your child and Ganu.

No. This is a foundational commitment. We will never sell your child's data.

In transit and at rest, with industry-standard encryption. Conversations are stored securely.

Yes. At any time. You can also request deletion on their behalf.

As long as your child is active with Artbot. Ganu's memory is part of the experience. Once you leave, conversations are deleted on request.

A small, vetted team — only as needed for safety, quality, or technical reasons. Conversations are never browsed casually.

No. Your child's privacy with Ganu is essential to the experience. You see summaries, emotional direction, and crisis flags if triggered.

A simple summary view: number of sessions, when they happened, emotional direction, offerings made. That's it.

Sessions appear in your dashboard summary. You'll see they had a conversation.

Yes, via device-level controls. We won't override your parenting choices.

You can end access at any time. Data deletion is available on request.

Ages 8–15. Ganu's voice and offerings adapt within three age bands: 8–10, 11–12, and 13–15.

For now, yes. We've designed Artbot specifically for 8–15. Younger children need different kinds of support.

At 16+, the experience starts to diverge from what we've built for. We may expand later.

If they're withdrawing, stuck, or carrying something they won't share with you — they're ready. They don't need a diagnosis. They just need someone to listen.

That's okay. We don't pressure. Sometimes they'll come back to it later. Sometimes Artbot isn't right for them, and that's fine too.

Most children respond to genuine listening. But not all. We're not trying to be everything to everyone.

Artbot is not a substitute for medical care. Ganu listens and supports. Medication decisions belong with your child's clinician.

Artbot can support a child who's experiencing the emotional weight of being different. It's not a clinical intervention.

Many anxious children find genuine listening relieving. Ganu doesn't try to argue them out of their feelings.

If your child has experienced significant trauma, professional support is essential. Artbot can be a complement to therapy, never a replacement.

Many neurodivergent children appreciate Ganu's predictable structure and the absence of social performance. But every child is different.

This is a soft launch — we're not charging yet. Early access families get lifetime free access.

Early access families: yes, forever. When we scale, we'll introduce affordable pricing for new users.

We're starting small. Mobile first. Other platforms will follow based on what families need.

Our soft launch is limited geographically. Email us to find out about your region.

We're building affordability into the model. No child should be locked out because of cost.

iOS and Android during early access. Web later.

Yes — for your child's safety and so Ganu can remember across sessions.

No. Each child gets their own space with Ganu. The relationship is personal.

Standard recovery via email. We help you get back in quickly.

Coming. For now, mobile is the primary experience.

Because they offer something genuinely different — frameworks for emotion and resilience that have been refined for 2,500 years. Not exotic. Foundational.

Right now, Indian traditions form the core. We may expand in the future, but always with depth, not as a marketing exercise.

As we learn from families. Our roadmap is shaped by what we hear, not what we assume.

Possibly. We're focused on 8–15 first. Younger and older may come.

A rough one. But this is a soft launch and we're shaping it with the first families. The roadmap is a conversation, not a plan.