Child Safety & Safeguarding Policy

Weave connects high-school students with university students and working professionals. Some members are 16 or 17, which means they are still children in law. This page sets out how we protect them and how anyone can report a concern, wherever they live. We apply the same core safety rules globally, alongside any stronger local requirement.

Minimum age: 16

Nobody under 16 may use Weave. Every member confirms their age at sign-up and we keep a record of that confirmation. Accounts we believe belong to someone under 16 are removed and their data deleted. If you know of such an account, tell us and we will act within one working day.

Rules that protect younger members

• Conversations are arranged by Weave and take place on a Weave-scheduled video call. Adults must not move the conversation to private messaging apps or personal phone numbers.
• No in-person meetings are arranged through Weave, ever.
• No requests for photos, home address, financial details or any intimate information.
• Conversations stay on the topics the younger member asked about: study choices, applications, courses and careers.
• A call must not be recorded without the other person's clear agreement, and a younger member can end a call at any time for any reason.
• Adults show real identity details — name, institution or employer — before a call is accepted.
• No sexual content, grooming, coercion, romantic approaches, secrecy requests or attempts to create dependency.
• Do not offer gifts, money, travel, accommodation or work in exchange for contact or personal information.

Standards across the EU, UK and US

• European Union: we use child-centred privacy defaults and the principles of the GDPR and Digital Services Act, including data minimisation, clear reporting and prompt action on illegal or harmful content.
• United Kingdom: we follow the child-first principles of the UK GDPR and the ICO Children's Code, including high privacy by default and avoiding nudges that encourage younger members to share more data.
• United States: Weave is not directed to children under 13 and does not permit anyone under 16 to register. We respond to suspected child sexual exploitation and preserve or report information when applicable law requires it.
• Everywhere else: we use these safeguards as a minimum and cooperate with the appropriate local child-protection or law-enforcement authority where required.

Data protection for younger members

• Profiles of signed-out visitors show first name only, with no email address, no LinkedIn link and no precise identifiers.
• We never ask for special category data, and we do not profile members for advertising.
• Every member can download or permanently delete all their data from their profile page.
• Members choose how many conversations they take, and can stop receiving requests at any time.

What we do with a report

• We acknowledge reports as quickly as we can and always within 72 hours.
• We can suspend an account immediately while we look into a concern; we do not wait for proof before protecting a young person.
• Where there is a risk to a child, we contact the relevant police or child protection authority, and we keep a record of the report for up to three years.
• The person who reported is not identified to the person reported.
• We preserve only the information needed to investigate, protect members, meet legal duties and prevent repeated misuse.

If someone is in immediate danger

Contact local emergency services first: 112 in the EU, 999 in the UK, or 911 in the US and Canada. Elsewhere, use your local emergency number. Then tell us at tjong.willem@gmail.com so we can secure the account and preserve relevant records.

Independent help and reporting

• Child Helpline International lists confidential child helplines by country.
• In the UK, contact Childline on 0800 1111. Report online child sexual abuse through CEOP.
• In the US, report suspected online child exploitation to the NCMEC CyberTipline. Call or text 988 for a mental-health crisis.
• In the EU, call 116 111 where available for a child helpline, or use your national police or child-protection service.

Report a concern

Not signed in? Email tjong.willem@gmail.com with what happened and, if you can, the name shown on the profile. We reply within 72 hours.

These are Weave's operational safeguards, not a certification of compliance in every country. Local law may require additional steps; this policy should be reviewed by qualified safeguarding and legal advisers before relying on it for a specific jurisdiction.