Introduction
These Terms of Service govern access to and use of the Social Media Research Institute Ltd (SMRI) Learning Management System. The Platform is operated by Social Media Research Institute Ltd (SMRI), a Delaware corporation. By accessing or using the Platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and the SMRI Privacy Policy. If you act on behalf of an institution, you represent that you have authority to bind that institution to these Terms. If you do not agree, you may not access or use the Platform.
Disclaimer and Limitation of Liability
SMRI provides community health education addressing digital literacy, social media awareness, mental health, and behavioral wellbeing. Social Media First Aid™ is not an offer of clinical care, diagnosis, or crisis intervention. The Platform is for informational and educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical, psychological, or therapeutic help. Participation in the Platform does not create a therapist-client, provider-patient, or any other professional relationship between SMRI and any User.
IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS IN CRISIS, CONTACT EMERGENCY SERVICES OR A LICENSED HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY.
Purpose and Educational Nature of the Platform
The Platform is intended solely for educational, preventative, instructional, and research-informed purposes related to digital literacy, social media awareness, online behavior, and technology wellbeing. SMRI expressly does not provide through the Platform: medical or mental health services, diagnosis, or treatment; crisis or emergency services of any kind; legal, financial, or other professional advice; or clinical supervision or therapeutic intervention.
User Categories and Role-Based Access
Access to the Platform is governed by role-based access controls determined by the Institution. The following user roles are recognized:
Students: Access assigned educational content, complete assessments, and track personal progress
Teachers: Assign and manage content delivery, monitor student progress, and access educator materials
Administrators: Manage accounts, configure institutional settings, access analytics and compliance dashboards
Parents / Guardians: Access family guidance modules and communication tools where provisioned by the Institution
Trainers: Access certification pathways, training materials, and professional development resources
Organizational Administrators: Manage multi-school or multi-site deployments, enrollment, and organization-wide reporting
Eligibility and Age-Based Access
Children under the age of thirteen (13) may not independently create accounts or self-register on the Platform. For users under 13, all Platform access must be provisioned by the Institution, which represents and warrants that it has obtained all required parental or guardian consents in accordance with applicable law, including COPPA and any applicable state or international equivalents. For secondary school students aged 13 and older, the Institution acts as the account authority and supervising entity.
Account Registration and Security
Accounts are created using institution-approved authentication credentials. Users are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of their login credentials and for all activity that occurs under their account. Users may not share account access or credentials with any other person. SMRI reserves the right to suspend or terminate any account that is compromised, shared, or used in violation of these Terms. Institutions are responsible for promptly notifying SMRI of any unauthorized access or suspected security breach.Contact Us
Acceptable Use and Prohibited Conduct
Users agree to use the Platform solely for its intended educational purposes. The following conduct is expressly prohibited:
Circumventing, disabling, or otherwise interfering with security controls, authentication systems, or access restrictions
Attempting to gain unauthorized access to any portion of the Platform or connected systems
Reverse engineering, decompiling, or otherwise attempting to derive source code from the Platform
Uploading or distributing any content that is unlawful, abusive, harassing, defamatory, or obscene
Using the Platform for surveillance, advertising, commercial solicitation, or data harvesting
Impersonating any person or entity, including SMRI personnel or institutional administrators
Using automated tools, bots, or scrapers to access or extract data without prior written authorization
Violating any applicable local, state, national, or international law in connection with use of the Platform
Intellectual Property
All content, materials, software, curriculum, frameworks, assessment instruments, branding, and other intellectual property made available through the Platform are the exclusive property of Social Media Research Institute Ltd or its licensors. This includes the Social Media First Aid™ curriculum, the Triple Conscious Theory framework, the ARCS method, the Social Media Score™ tool, and all associated training materials, micro-lectures, worksheets, and educator guides. SMRI grants Institutions a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the Platform solely for internal, non-commercial educational purposes. Users may not reproduce, distribute, modify, or sublicense any Platform content without prior written consent of SMRI.
Intellectual Property
SMRI does not sell Student Data, use Student Data for advertising or commercial profiling, or disclose Student Data to third parties except as required to operate the Platform or as required by law. SMRI processes Student Data solely as directed by the Institution and in accordance with the SMRI Privacy Policy and applicable data protection law, including FERPA, COPPA, GDPR, and other applicable frameworks. Student Data remains under the ownership and control of the Institution.
Automated and AI-Assisted Features
The Platform may incorporate automated or AI-assisted tools to support curriculum sequencing, aggregate analytics, educator insights, and platform optimization. All automated outputs are advisory only, non-diagnostic, and subject to human oversight. SMRI does not use Student Data to train third-party AI models, engage in automated decision-making that produces legal or significant effects on individual students, or conduct predictive behavioral profiling of any user.
Institutional Responsibilities
Institutions accepting these Terms agree to the following obligations: maintain accurate and up-to-date user accounts; obtain and maintain all required parental, guardian, and student consents prior to provisioning Platform access; ensure that Platform use by students and staff complies with Institution policies and applicable law; ensure compliance with all applicable local, state, national, and international laws and regulations; and promptly notify SMRI of any suspected data breach, unauthorized access, or misuse of the Platform.
International Use
The Platform is available to Institutions in multiple jurisdictions. Institutions operating outside the United States are responsible for ensuring that their use of the Platform complies with all applicable local, national, and regional laws and regulations, including data protection and privacy laws. SMRI makes no representation that the Platform is appropriate or lawful for use in all jurisdictions.
Disclaimer of Warranties
THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, OR UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE OPERATION. SMRI DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE PLATFORM WILL MEET ANY SPECIFIC INSTITUTION'S REQUIREMENTS, THAT IT WILL BE AVAILABLE AT ALL TIMES, OR THAT IT WILL BE FREE FROM SECURITY VULNERABILITIES OR ERRORS. USE OF THE PLATFORM IS AT THE USER'S AND INSTITUTION'S SOLE RISK.
Limitation of Liability
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL SMRI, ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, LICENSORS, OR SERVICE PROVIDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF REVENUE, LOSS OF DATA, LOSS OF GOODWILL, OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION. IN ANY EVENT, SMRI'S TOTAL CUMULATIVE LIABILITY SHALL NOT EXCEED THE TOTAL FEES PAID BY THAT INSTITUTION TO SMRI IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM.
Indemnification
Each Institution agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Social Media Research Institute Ltd (SMRI) and its officers, directors, employees, agents, and successors from and against any and all claims, demands, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses arising out of or relating to: the Institution's use of or access to the Platform; any breach of these Terms; any violation of applicable law; or any claim that the Institution's use of the Platform infringes the rights of any third party.
Force Majeure
SMRI shall not be liable for any delay or failure to perform its obligations under these Terms to the extent caused by circumstances beyond SMRI's reasonable control, including acts of God, natural disasters, pandemics, war, terrorism, civil unrest, government action, labor disputes, power or internet outages, cyberattacks on third-party infrastructure, or failures of third-party service providers.
Assignment
Institutions may not assign, transfer, sublicense, or delegate any rights or obligations under these Terms without the prior written consent of SMRI. SMRI may assign or transfer its rights and obligations, in whole or in part, without the consent of the Institution, including in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets. SMRI will provide reasonable notice to affected Institutions following any such assignment.
Term and Termination
These Terms are effective upon first access to the Platform and continue until terminated. SMRI may suspend or terminate any User's or Institution's access for material breach of these Terms, conduct that poses a risk to the security or integrity of the Platform, or non-payment of applicable fees. Upon termination, the Institution's license to access the Platform immediately ceases.
Dispute Resolution and Binding Arbitration
Any and all disputes arising out of or relating to these Terms shall be resolved exclusively through final and binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Commercial Arbitration Rules. The seat of arbitration shall be Wilmington, Delaware. The Institution and SMRI each waive the right to a jury trial and the right to participate in any class action or representative proceeding. Individual users may opt out of this arbitration agreement by providing written notice to legal@smri.world within thirty (30) days of first accessing the Platform.
Governing Law
These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, United States, without regard to its conflict of laws principles. For any dispute not subject to arbitration, the parties consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of Delaware.
Amendments and Modifications
SMRI reserves the right to amend these Terms at any time. For material changes, SMRI will provide written notice to Institutions at least thirty (30) days prior to the effective date. Continued use of the Platform after the effective date of any amendment constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.
Entire Agreement
These Terms, together with the SMRI Privacy Policy and any applicable Institutional Service Agreement, Data Processing Agreement, or Order Form, constitute the entire agreement between SMRI and the Institution with respect to the Platform.
Severability
If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, such provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, or severed from these Terms, and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.
Waiver
No failure or delay by SMRI in exercising any right or privilege under these Terms shall constitute a waiver of that right or privilege.
Notices
All legal notices shall be in writing. Notices to SMRI shall be delivered to: Social Media Research Institute Ltd (SMRI), 16192 Coastal Highway, Lewes, Delaware 19958, United States. Email: legal@smri.world
