Child Safety Standards

LAST UPDATED: APRIL 5, 2026

Sidequest Local, Inc. ("Sidequest," "we," "us") is committed to maintaining a platform that is free of child sexual abuse and exploitation. This page sets out our published standards against child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE), as required by app store policies and applicable law.

1. Adults-Only Platform

Sidequest is an 18+ adults-only service. Per our Terms of Service, users must affirm they are at least 18 years of age to create an account. Accounts that we identify, or that are reported to us, as belonging to a minor are terminated immediately and the associated user data is deleted.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you believe a minor has created an account or been contacted on Sidequest, please report it immediately using the contact information below.

2. Prohibited Conduct

The following are strictly prohibited on Sidequest. Any user who engages in them will be permanently banned, and we will cooperate with law enforcement to the fullest extent of the law:

• Uploading, sharing, requesting, or linking to child sexual abuse material (CSAM) of any kind, real or computer-generated.
• Sexualized content involving minors, including written narratives, drawings, AI-generated imagery, or "age play."
• Grooming — building a relationship with a minor for the purpose of sexual exploitation, abuse, or trafficking.
• Sextortion — coercing or blackmailing any person, including a minor, using sexual content or threats.
• Soliciting, offering, or facilitating the trafficking of minors.
• Attempting to meet, contact, or develop a relationship with a minor through the platform.
• Sharing personal information of a minor (doxxing) or directing harassment toward a minor.
• Posting events designed to attract, recruit, or harm minors.

3. Prevention Measures

We take a defense-in-depth approach to keeping minors and exploitative content off the platform:

Age Gating

• Account creation requires the user to attest they are 18 or older.
• Our Terms of Service make the 18+ requirement explicit and binding.
• Underage accounts that come to our attention are removed promptly.

Authenticated Identity

• Accounts are created via verified channels — phone (Firebase), Google, Apple, or email one-time-password — making throwaway and bot accounts harder to create.
• For certain communities, we require verified university (.edu) email address ownership, which provides additional assurance that account holders are adults attending an institution of higher education.

Automated Content Moderation

• All user-submitted text on activity posts (titles, descriptions) is screened by an automated content filter that blocks profanity and explicitly sexual or solicitation-related terms before publication.
• Activity images uploaded to the platform are subject to review and removal.

Human Review & Enforcement

• Reports of CSAM or CSAE are escalated to our trust & safety contact and reviewed urgently — ahead of all other report categories.
• We permanently ban accounts found to have violated our child safety rules and preserve relevant evidence as required by law.
• We block re-registration attempts where technically feasible.

4. How to Report Child Safety Concerns

If you encounter content, conduct, or an account on Sidequest that may involve a minor or violate these standards, please report it immediately. You have several options:

In-App Reporting

Every user profile and every activity post on Sidequest includes a Report action. Tap the menu (•••) on the profile or post and choose "Report," then write a short description of the issue. Reports are routed to our trust & safety inbox and reviewed by a human, who can then access all content associated with the reported user or post.

Email Reporting

For urgent child safety concerns, or if you cannot use the in-app flow, email us directly:

[email protected]

Please include, where you can: a description of what you saw, the username(s) involved, the activity or conversation in question, and screenshots if you have them. Reports are confidential.

Reporting to Authorities

If you believe a child is in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services first (911 in the U.S.). To report CSAM directly to the U.S. authorities, you can also contact:

• NCMEC CyberTipline — report.cybertip.org or 1-800-843-5678
• FBI — tips.fbi.gov
• Outside the U.S., contact your national hotline via INHOPE.

5. How We Respond to Reports

1. Triage. Reports tagged as child safety concerns are prioritized over all other report categories and reviewed by a designated human reviewer as quickly as possible.
2. Action. If a violation is confirmed, the offending content is removed and the responsible account is permanently banned. Where appropriate, related accounts are also reviewed.
3. Preservation. We preserve relevant account data and content as required to support law enforcement investigations.
4. Reporting to NCMEC. Where required by U.S. law (18 U.S.C. § 2258A), we report apparent CSAM to the NCMEC CyberTipline.
5. Cooperation. We respond to valid legal process from law enforcement investigating child exploitation offenses.

6. Compliance with Law

Sidequest Local, Inc. complies with all applicable laws regarding child safety, including but not limited to U.S. federal reporting obligations under 18 U.S.C. § 2258A, the protections of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and equivalent obligations in other jurisdictions where our service is available.

7. Designated Point of Contact

The designated point of contact for questions or concerns regarding our CSAM/CSAE prevention practices and compliance is:

Sidequest Local, Inc. — Trust & Safety
[email protected]
Charlottesville, Virginia, USA

8. Updates

We review and update these standards as our platform, our policies, and applicable law evolve. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision.

See also: Terms of Service · Privacy Policy · Support