Last updated: 8 September 2026
Children travel with us constantly, and the law treats their data differently. Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, a child is anyone under 18. This policy sets out how we handle children's personal data and how we protect children who stay in our homes.
Accounts and bookings
A SaffronStays account may only be held by a person aged 18 or above, and the lead guest on every booking must be an adult. Sign-up asks for your date of birth rather than a tick-box, and where that date is under 18 the sign-up stops. Signing in with Google or Facebook gives us a date of birth only when that provider shares one, so an account created that way may reach us without an age at all; we ask for one when it matters, and we act on what we learn. If we find that an account is held by a child, we suspend it and delete the personal data we hold, except records the law requires us to keep.
Verifiable parental consent
Section 9(1) requires consent to be verifiable, so we do not rely on a declaration alone.
At sign-up. If the date of birth entered is under 18, the sign-up stops. A parent or lawful guardian gives their own name, relationship to the child, email and mobile number, and receives a one-time code on that number. Only once that code is verified is an account created, and it is created in the guardian's name on the verified number — never the child's. We keep a record of that consent: who gave it, their relationship to the child, the verification reference and the time it was captured.
At check-in. Adding a guest under 18to a booking requires the account holder — already an adult verified at sign-up — to confirm, for that guest, that they are the parent or lawful guardian and consent to the child's details being processed for the stay. Without that confirmation the guest cannot be added. The consent we rely on for that child is the one given by the verified account holder making the booking.
We collect the minimum needed to host the child safely: first name, age, and any allergy or accessibility need you choose to tell us.
No tracking, no targeted advertising
Section 9(3) of the Act prohibits tracking, behavioural monitoring and targeted advertising directed at children, and we treat that as absolute. Where an account's date of birth shows the holder is under 18, analytics, session replay and marketing technologies are switched off for that account and their date of birth is not sent to any marketing platform — regardless of what the cookie banner was told. We never build a profile of a child, and we never use a child's data for advertising.
No detrimental processing
We do not undertake processing likely to cause a detrimental effect on the well-being of a child, and we do not offer children's data for sale, exchange or enrichment.
Child protection in our homes
SaffronStays has zero tolerance for the exploitation or abuse of children. We do not accept bookings by unaccompanied minors. Hidden or undisclosed recording devices are forbidden in every home, and cameras, however disclosed, are never permitted in bedrooms, bathrooms, or any private area. Homeowners and caretakers are contractually required to report any suspicion of child abuse or exploitation.
If you see or suspect that a child is being harmed, contact the local police on 112 or Childline India on 1098 first. Then tell us at privacy@saffronstays.com so we can act on the listing. Reports are treated confidentially and escalated the same day.
Parents and guardians
A parent or guardian may ask what data we hold about their child, correct it, or have it erased through the data request form, and may withdraw consent at any time. See also our Privacy Policy and Trust and Safety pages.