Privacy Policy for National Geographic Kids site, National Geographic Kids magazine, and National Geographic Explorer magazine.

Nationalgeographic.com respects and protects the privacy of our users. We encourage other sites to join us in this effort.

Collection, Use, and Disclosure of Information

At our Kids site (www.nationalgeographic.com/kids), National Geographic Kids magazine online (www.nationalgeographic.com/ngkids), National Geographic Explorer classroom magazine online (www.nationalgeographic.com/ngexplorer), and online features specifically designed for kids, the only use we make of personal information (usually e-mail addresses) is to respond one time to a question or request for information from a child, or to award prizes in a game or sweepstakes feature on our site. We do not otherwise make use of personal information, nor do we provide it to third parties.

Parental Consent

If we decide to collect personal information for other reasons, we will notify parents that it is being requested, disclose the reasons for collecting it, and disclose our intended use for it. We will seek parental consent before collecting any personally identifiable information. If we do collect it, parents may request information on the type of data being collected, view their child’s information and, if they choose, prohibit us from making further use of their child’s information. We will not provide personal information to third parties.

Message Boards

Kids who send messages to National Geographic Kids magazine’s Sound Off!, or send messages to the National Geographic Explorer classroom magazine’s Mailbox do so directly on web pages housed on National Geographic servers. It is our policy to collect only information (such as first name, age, state, and country) that is necessary to participate in these and other activities. A user’s message cannot be traced back to him or her because no personal information is given. No information is provided to third parties.

Electronic Postcards

All Kids site, National Geographic Kids, and National Geographic Explorer classroom magazine electronic postcards request that users furnish e-mail addresses. This is necessary to send the postcards. The e-mail addresses are deleted from our servers and are not distributed to third parties or used for any other purposes.

Sweepstakes and Contests

If a child participates in a Kids sweepstakes or contest or submits a winning story idea, we will retain his or her e-mail address for the duration of the contest until a winner is chosen. The winner will be notified by e-mail or another method, as described in the rules. After the contest all participants’ e-mail addresses will be deleted from our system. We will not use e-mail addresses in any other way, and we will not provide them to any third party.

U.S. federal law prohibits us from requiring kids to give any more personal information than is necessary to participate in a given activity.

Links to Other Sites

When children click on links from Kids site, National Geographic Kids, and National Geographic Explorer magazine to other sites, we may open the other sites in a new browser window.

We make every effort to link to appropriate outside sites for kids. Unlike our Kids site, National Geographic Kids, and National Geographic Explorer, however, these outside sites may collect personal information.

Contact Information

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about our privacy policy—or to review, change, or modify personal information collected previously—please contact Jennifer Kirkpatrick at the National Geographic Society, 1145 17th Street, Washington, D.C. 20036-4688.

Disclaimer

Due to the changing nature of the Internet, this policy may be changed at any time at National Geographic’s discretion.