The short version. A parent or legal guardian creates and controls a HocusFocus account. It monitors an enrolled device's network activity to produce a Focus Score, which a parent may optionally tie to a real allowance paid over ACH through Plaid. By creating an account you confirm you are a parent or legal guardian of any child you enrol, and you agree to the terms below.
See also our Privacy Policy, which covers what we collect and why — this document covers the rules for using the service.
These Terms of Service ("Terms") are an agreement between you and HocusFocus ("we", "us") governing your use of the HocusFocus website, the parent and student web applications, and the VPN profile installed on an enrolled device (together, the "Service"). Creating an account, enrolling a device, or otherwise using the Service means you accept these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.
A HocusFocus account is opened and controlled by a parent or legal guardian. You must be at least 18 years old and have the legal authority to consent to the monitoring described in section 3 for any child you enrol.
A child does not and cannot create their own account. A parent creates a child's username and password, or sends an invitation code the child uses to set their own password on first sign-in. A child's access is limited to their own Focus Score, activity, planner, and related pages — never allowance settings, payment methods, or another child's data.
By enrolling a child's device you represent that you are their parent or legal guardian, or that you otherwise have the legal right to consent to monitoring that device on their behalf.
HocusFocus routes an enrolled device's internet traffic through a VPN we operate. We record which domains it connects to, how much data moves, and when — not the contents of any page, message, or search. That record produces a daily Focus Score (0–100), a breakdown of what helped or hurt it, and, if a parent turns on focus mode, the ability to block distracting sites during a session. Full detail on exactly what is and is not collected is in the Privacy Policy, and applies here by reference.
The Focus Score is a behavioural estimate derived from network metadata and, where connected, assignment and calendar data. It is not a diagnostic, academic, or clinical assessment, and should not be relied on as one.
The Service depends on a working internet connection, the VPN profile remaining installed, and — for cross-device blocking — a shared VPN appliance. We do not guarantee uninterrupted monitoring or blocking; a device that is offline, has had the VPN profile removed, or is otherwise unreachable will not be tracked while in that state.
You are responsible for the accuracy of the information you provide, for keeping your password confidential, and for all activity under your account. Tell us immediately at support@hocus-focus.us if you believe your account or a child's account has been accessed without authorisation.
Do not share a child's sign-in with anyone other than that child, and do not use a child's account to sign in as if you were the child.
Allowance is a parent setting, not a default: no money moves unless a parent configures an allowance and enables real payouts.
When real payouts are enabled, a payout is two separate ACH transfers processed through Plaid: a debit from the parent's linked bank account into our ledger, and — after funds clear, which can take two to five business days — a credit from our ledger into the child's linked account. We are not a bank; Plaid and the underlying banking rails move the money, and their own terms and any applicable banking regulations apply to those transfers in addition to these Terms.
A transfer can be declined for reasons outside our control, including insufficient funds, a bank connection that needs to be re-authorised, or a bank that does not publish an available balance. A declined or returned transfer does not obligate us to retry it by another method, and we are not responsible for a bank's fees, holds, or account actions taken in response to a transfer we initiate at your instruction.
You authorise us to initiate the debit and credit entries described above for any allowance payout you configure, and to share the minimum information Plaid requires to process them. You can turn off real payouts, or delete your account, at any time; a payout already submitted may continue to settle before it can be reversed.
You agree not to:
We may suspend or terminate access for a violation of this section (section 12).
Sites and apps are categorised productive, neutral, or distracting using a shared catalog and an automated classifier. A parent may file a report proposing a different category; it applies to their own family's view immediately. It does not change what any other family sees. Only an operator who reviews a report can accept it into the shared catalog used for future classification and model training.
The Service integrates with providers you choose to connect: Google (sign-in and calendar), Instructure Canvas (assignments), and Plaid (bank connections and transfers). Connecting one is optional except where a feature explicitly requires it. Your use of a connected provider is also governed by that provider's own terms, and we are not responsible for their availability, accuracy, or conduct.
What we collect, why, how long we keep it, and how to export or delete it is described in full in the Privacy Policy. A signed-in parent can export a complete record of their family's data or delete their account, both from within the app.
The Service is provided "as is" and "as available." To the fullest extent the law allows, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that the Focus Score will accurately reflect any particular child's actual behaviour, effort, or academic standing.
HocusFocus is a tool that supports a parent's own judgment about their child's device use and allowance. It is not a substitute for that judgment, and we are not responsible for decisions made on the basis of the Focus Score or activity data alone.
To the fullest extent the law allows, HocusFocus and its officers, employees, and service providers will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss of data, funds in transit, or goodwill, arising from your use of the Service — even if we have been advised of the possibility. Where liability cannot be excluded, our total liability for any claim arising from the Service is limited to the greater of the fees you paid us in the twelve months before the claim arose, or one hundred U.S. dollars. Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot lawfully be limited, such as liability for our own gross negligence or wilful misconduct.
You may stop using the Service and delete your account at any time from within the app, subject to the payout-in-progress limit described in the Privacy Policy. We may suspend or terminate an account that violates section 6, that we reasonably believe is being used to monitor someone without proper consent, or as needed to comply with the law. Where practical we will tell you why.
Sections 5 (as to a payout already submitted), 9 through 11, and 14 survive termination.
We may update these Terms as the Service changes. If a change is material, we will update the date above and notify account holders before it takes effect. Continuing to use the Service after a change takes effect means you accept the updated Terms.
These Terms are governed by the laws of the United States and the state in which HocusFocus is incorporated, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute arising from these Terms or the Service will be resolved in the courts located in that state, and you consent to their jurisdiction.
Questions about these Terms: support@hocus-focus.us. Questions about privacy specifically go to privacy@hocus-focus.us.