MomGals — Terms of Use

Effective Date: October 10, 2026 | Last Updated: October 15, 2026

Welcome to MomGals. These Terms of Use (“Terms”) are a legal agreement between you and Carolina Rodriguez Hoyos, a sole trader (empresária em nome individual) operating under Portuguese tax number (NIF) 306770253, trading as “MomGals” (“MomGals,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), the operator of the MomGals website and application (the “Service”). By creating an account, you agree to be bound by these Terms and by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated by reference. If you do not agree, you may not use the Service.

1. Eligibility

To use MomGals, you must:

  • Be at least 18 years old. MomGals is not directed at, and does not knowingly permit registration by, anyone under 18. If we learn that an account belongs to a person under 18, we will suspend it and delete the associated data.
  • Identify as a woman. MomGals is a women-only community for mothers and mothers-to-be. By registering, you confirm this applies to you.
  • Provide accurate registration information (name, email, city, and the other profile details requested during sign-up) and keep it up to date.
  • Complete our identity verification step (a live photo taken through the app) truthfully. Uploading someone else's photo, using a filter to misrepresent your identity, or submitting a photo from your camera roll instead of a live capture is a violation of these Terms.
  • Hold or create only one account. Duplicate or shared accounts may be suspended.

We monitor for underage or otherwise ineligible use, and we may ask any member to re-verify her age or identity at any time. Accounts that fail to do so, or that we reasonably believe belong to someone under 18, will be suspended.

2. What MomGals Does

MomGals helps pregnant women and mothers find a small, local support network of other women in a similar life stage. The Service currently includes:

  • Tribe matching: we group you with a small number of nearby members (up to eight) based on approximate location, shared language, and the ages of your children, using an automated algorithm. You do not browse or swipe through other members; groups (“tribes”) are formed for you.
  • Messaging: direct messages with individual members, group chat within your tribe, and open community discussion boards.
  • Events and meetups: the ability to create, RSVP to, and see attendee lists for in-person tribe meetups and community events.
  • A specialists directory: listings of doulas, pediatricians, lactation consultants, and similar professionals submitted by the community or partners. MomGals does not personally know, vet, employ, or endorse any specialist listed, and listing a specialist is not a recommendation or referral.
  • A second-hand marketplace: a space for members to list and arrange sales of used baby and maternity items directly with each other.
  • Optional paid membership (in the future): matching, open community discussions, tribe chat, tribe events and your inbox are free; we may later offer additional paid features, as described in Section 4.

3. Safety Measures, Verification, and Moderation

Because MomGals connects women who often go on to meet in person, sometimes with their children present, we've built several layers of safety measures into the Service. This section explains what we do — and, just as importantly, what we do not do — so you can make informed decisions about your own safety and your family's safety.

3.1 Identity Verification

Every new member must submit a live selfie taken through the app's camera — photos from your camera roll are not accepted. A member of our team manually compares this selfie to the member's profile photo, usually within 24 hours. If they don't match, we may ask for a new selfie or suspend the account. Verification photos are stored in a restricted, admin-only storage area and are never shown to other members.

3.2 Account and Content Security

Our systems are built so that each member can only access her own account data, and any payment card details are handled by the payment provider rather than stored on our servers. Second-hand marketplace listings and community events are held for admin review before they go live.

3.3 Reporting, Blocking, and Account Enforcement

You can report or block another member at any time from within the app. Blocking is reversible — you can unblock someone later from your settings. Reports are reviewed by our admin team, who may dismiss the report, issue a warning, or suspend or permanently ban the reported account; the reported member is notified when a warning or ban is issued. A member who accumulates three or more warnings is automatically flagged for further review. We are not obligated to share the outcome of a specific report with the person who filed it, beyond confirming that it was reviewed.

If you believe a warning, suspension, or ban was issued in error, you may appeal by emailing wecare@momgalsapp.com within 30 days of the decision. We will review appeals in good faith, but our decisions are final.

Reporting illegal or harmful content: you can report any content or member in the app, or email wecare@momgalsapp.com, which is also our single point of contact for authorities and users under the EU Digital Services Act. When we remove content or restrict, suspend, or ban an account, we will tell you the reason and how to appeal, unless doing so would be unlawful or put someone at risk.

3.4 What These Measures Are — and Are Not

> Please read this section carefully. It explains the real limits of MomGals' safety measures.

  • Our verification process confirms that an account is controlled by a real person whose live photo matches her profile picture. It does not verify a member's government ID, criminal history, marital status, profession, health, or the truthfulness of anything else on her profile.
  • MomGals does not run criminal background checks, sex-offender registry searches, or any other legal vetting on our members, and we do not independently verify claims members make about themselves.
  • We do not personally know our members. Approving or verifying an account is not an endorsement, recommendation, or guarantee of that member's character, intentions, or safety.
  • No verification, moderation, or reporting system — including ours — is foolproof. People who intend to misrepresent themselves can sometimes get through even careful checks, and a verified, warning-free account is not a guarantee of safe behavior.

You are solely responsible for exercising your own judgment when interacting with, meeting, or relying on any other member. See Section 6 for important safety information about meeting members in person.

5. Community Guidelines and Prohibited Conduct

MomGals is built on trust between women who may go on to meet in person, sometimes with their children present. When using the Service, you agree not to:

  • Harass, threaten, demean, stalk, or intimidate any other member.
  • Post or send content that is hateful, sexually explicit, violent, or otherwise inappropriate for a community that includes discussion of pregnancy and young children.
  • Impersonate another person, or misrepresent your identity, age, location, or family situation.
  • Use the Service to advertise, solicit, or sell anything outside of the designated marketplace feature, or to recruit members into unrelated businesses, multi-level-marketing schemes, or services.
  • Share another member's personal information (including phone numbers, exact addresses, or photos of her children) outside the app without her consent.
  • Attempt to circumvent our verification, moderation, blocking, or reporting systems.
  • Use the Service for any purpose that could endanger a child, including your own.

We have zero tolerance for objectionable content and abusive members. If a member violates these guidelines, you can report or block her from within the app; reported content is reviewed within 24 hours and removed, and the member may be removed from MomGals. Reports are reviewed by our team, who may dismiss the report, issue a warning, or suspend or ban the reported account. We are not obligated to share the outcome of a specific report with the person who filed it, beyond confirming that it was reviewed.

6. In-Person Meetups — Please Read Carefully

> MomGals helps you find and arrange to meet other members in person, including at tribe gatherings and community events, sometimes with children present. This section limits our responsibility for what happens at those meetups — please read it carefully.

As explained in Section 3, MomGals verifies that an account is controlled by a real person who matches her profile photo, but we do not conduct criminal background checks, reference checks, or in-person safety assessments of any member. We do not personally know our members. You are solely responsible for exercising your own judgment about whether, when, and how to meet another member or attend an event, including decisions about bringing your children.

We strongly recommend that you: meet for the first time in a public place; tell a friend or family member where you are going; supervise your own children at all times during meetups; and trust your instincts if a situation feels unsafe.

Assumption of risk and release: by choosing to message, meet, or otherwise interact with another member, attend a tribe meetup or community event, or arrange a marketplace exchange, you accept and assume all risks associated with doing so. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, you release MomGals, its founders, employees, and contractors from any and all claims, demands, and damages arising out of or connected to your interactions — online or in person — with other members, including disputes, injury, loss, or damage. This release does not apply to liability that cannot be excluded or limited under mandatory law, including liability for death or personal injury caused by our own negligence, or for our fraud or wilful misconduct.

7. Specialists Directory

MomGals does not personally know, vet, license-check, or endorse the doulas, healthcare providers, or other specialists that appear in the directory. Listings are informational only and do not constitute a referral or recommendation. You should independently verify any specialist's credentials before engaging their services, particularly for anything touching your or your child's health.

8. Second-Hand Marketplace

Marketplace listings are created by members, for transactions between members. MomGals is not a party to these transactions, does not inspect items for safety (including compliance with child product safety standards, such as recalls on cribs, car seats, or other baby equipment), and is not responsible for the condition, safety, legality, or description accuracy of any listed item. Buyers are strongly encouraged to inspect items in person before purchase and to check manufacturer recall lists for any used baby gear, especially car seats and cribs.

9. Your Content and Our Intellectual Property

You retain ownership of the photos, messages, listings, and other content you post (“User Content”). By posting it, you grant MomGals a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, store, and display that content solely as needed to operate the Service (for example, showing your profile photo and area label to your matched tribe members). You are responsible for having the rights to anything you post, including any photo of yourself.

The MomGals name, logo, and app design are owned by us or our licensors and may not be used without permission.

10. A Note on Children

MomGals is a service for mothers, not for children, and we do not knowingly allow anyone under 18 to register. We ask you for the approximate age of each of your children (for example, “2 years”) solely to match you with other mothers at a similar stage; we do not collect your children's names or photos through the app. You should never share identifying information about your children with people you have not verified you trust, and you remain solely responsible for your children's safety and supervision at any meetup or event.

11. Suspension and Termination

You may close your account at any time from your settings. We may suspend or terminate your account, with or without notice, if we believe you have violated these Terms, engaged in conduct that harms or risks harming another member, or if we discontinue the Service. Upon termination, your right to use the Service ends immediately; certain provisions of these Terms (including Sections 6, 9, 12, and 13) survive termination.

12. Disclaimers

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE,” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR THAT ANY MATCH, MEMBER, OR EVENT WILL BE SAFE, APPROPRIATE, OR ACCURATE. WE DO NOT GUARANTEE THAT ANY MEMBER'S IDENTITY VERIFICATION, PROFILE INFORMATION, OR CONDUCT IS ACCURATE, SAFE, OR AS REPRESENTED. VERIFICATION OF AN ACCOUNT UNDER SECTION 3 CONFIRMS ONLY THE LIMITED CHECKS DESCRIBED THERE AND IS NOT A GUARANTEE OF A MEMBER'S IDENTITY BEYOND THOSE CHECKS, HER SAFETY, OR HER INTENTIONS. NOTHING IN THIS SECTION LIMITS ANY STATUTORY RIGHTS YOU MAY HAVE AS A CONSUMER UNDER APPLICABLE EU OR LOCAL LAW THAT CANNOT BE WAIVED.

13. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, MomGals and its founders, employees, and contractors will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss of data, goodwill, or, in particular, any injury or harm arising from an in-person meetup, event, or transaction between members. Our total liability for any claim arising from your use of the Service will not exceed the amount you paid us in the 12 months before the claim arose, or €100 if you have not made any payment. This limitation does not apply to liability that cannot be limited or excluded under applicable law (such as liability for death, personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or gross negligence).

14. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold MomGals harmless from any claims, damages, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your violation of these Terms, your User Content, or your conduct toward another member, including at an in-person meetup or event.

15. Miscellaneous

  • Entire agreement: these Terms and our Privacy Policy make up the entire agreement between you and MomGals regarding the Service, and supersede any prior agreements on this subject.
  • Severability: if any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, that provision will be limited or removed to the minimum extent necessary, and the rest of the Terms will remain in full effect.
  • No waiver: our failure to enforce any provision of these Terms is not a waiver of our right to do so later.
  • Assignment: you may not transfer your rights under these Terms without our consent; we may assign these Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.
  • Electronic communications: you consent to receiving communications from us electronically, including by email and in-app notification, and agree that such communications satisfy any legal requirement that they be in writing.
  • Third-party links: the Service may link to third-party websites or services (for example, Google Maps or a specialist's own website) that we do not control and are not responsible for.

16. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of Portugal, without regard to conflict-of-law principles, except that if you are a consumer habitually resident in another EU/EEA member state, the mandatory consumer protection laws of that state may also apply and, where applicable law requires, you may bring proceedings in the courts of your own country of residence. Any dispute not resolved informally will be submitted to the competent courts of Lisbon, Portugal, subject to the consumer-protection carve-out above.

Complaints: we will always try to resolve complaints directly — write to wecare@momgalsapp.com. If you are a consumer in Portugal, you may also submit a complaint through the Livro de Reclamações Eletrónico (www.livroreclamacoes.pt) and obtain information on out-of-court consumer dispute resolution from the Portal do Consumidor (www.consumidor.gov.pt). We are not obliged to submit disputes to an out-of-court consumer dispute resolution body unless required by law.

17. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you in-app or by email before they take effect. Continuing to use MomGals after changes take effect means you accept the updated Terms.

18. Contact Us

Questions about these Terms can be sent to wecare@momgalsapp.com, or by post to Carolina Rodriguez Hoyos (NIF 306770253), Rua Eduardo Coelho 35, 1, 1200-165 Lisbon, Portugal.