Terms of Service

ListeningDiary is a peer-support platform that connects people who want to talk ("Members") with trained volunteer listeners ("Listeners"). We are not a crisis service, a medical provider, or a licensed therapy service. Our Listeners are trained volunteers, not licensed mental health professionals. If you are in immediate danger or experiencing a mental health emergency, please contact your local emergency services (e.g. 999 in the UK, 911 in the US) or a dedicated crisis line such as Samaritans (116 123 in the UK).

By creating an account or using any part of the ListeningDiary platform (including the website, mobile app, chat features, community rooms, journal, and growth paths), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the platform. We may update these terms from time to time. Continued use of the platform after changes are published constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.

You must be at least 13 years old to use ListeningDiary. If you are between 13 and 17, you confirm that you have your parent or guardian's permission to use the platform. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If we become aware that a child under 13 has created an account, we will delete it.

You are responsible for keeping your login credentials secure. You must not share your account with others or create multiple accounts to circumvent any restrictions we apply. You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account. You may delete your account at any time by contacting us at support@listeningdiary.com. On deletion, your personal data will be removed in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

You agree not to use ListeningDiary to: • Share or solicit personal contact information (phone numbers, addresses, social media handles) with other users • Harass, bully, threaten, or abuse any other user or Listener • Share content that is sexually explicit, violent, or promotes self-harm • Impersonate another person or misrepresent your identity • Use the platform for commercial solicitation or advertising • Attempt to reverse-engineer, scrape, or disrupt the platform • Violate any applicable law or regulation We reserve the right to suspend or permanently ban accounts that violate these rules, without prior notice.

Listeners are volunteers who have completed our training programme and agreed to our Listener Code of Conduct. Listeners are not permitted to give medical advice, diagnose conditions, or act in any professional therapeutic capacity. Listeners may end a session at any time if they feel unsafe or if a Member is violating these terms. ListeningDiary does not guarantee the availability of any specific Listener and makes no warranty as to the quality or outcome of any listening session.

ListeningDiary is a peer-support service. Nothing on this platform constitutes medical, psychological, or psychiatric advice. Sessions with Listeners are not therapy. We strongly encourage you to seek qualified professional help for any serious mental health concerns. If at any point during a session a Listener believes you may be at risk of harming yourself or others, they are instructed to direct you to emergency services and may report their concern to our moderation team.

Your use of the platform is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights. By using ListeningDiary you consent to the data practices described in the Privacy Policy. Chat messages in one-to-one listening sessions are end-to-end encrypted and are not stored on our servers beyond the duration of the session. Community room messages may be retained for moderation purposes.

Community rooms are group chat spaces moderated by volunteer moderators. Messages in community rooms are visible to all members of that room. Do not share personal identifying information in community rooms. We apply automated moderation (profanity filtering, contact-sharing detection) and manual moderation. We may remove messages or users who violate these terms without notice.

Your journal entries are private and visible only to you. We do not read, analyse, or share your journal entries with any third party except where required by law. Growth path progress is stored against your account and used only to personalise your experience.

All content on ListeningDiary — including text, design, logos, training materials, and code — is owned by ListeningDiary or its licensors and is protected by copyright. You may not reproduce or redistribute any content without our written permission. You retain ownership of any content you submit (journal entries, chat messages). By submitting content you grant us a limited licence to store and transmit it solely for the purpose of providing the service.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, ListeningDiary and its operators, employees, and volunteers shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the platform, including but not limited to emotional distress, harm to health, or loss of data. Our total liability for any claim arising from your use of the platform shall not exceed the amount you have paid us in the twelve months preceding the claim (which for free-tier users is £0).

These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

If you have questions about these terms, please contact us at legal@listeningdiary.com.