Community Guidelines

ClassMates works because everyone helps keep it kind, focused and safe. When you join, you agree to our community promise. These guidelines explain it in full.

They apply everywhere in ClassMates: groups, study rooms, chat, notes, flashcards, quizzes, files, links and calls. They apply to everyone: students, teachers, parents and staff.

Our community promise

1. Be kind and respectful. Disagree with ideas, never with people.
2. Keep it about learning. Stay on topic in circles and study rooms.
3. Protect your privacy. Never share phone numbers or addresses.
4. Report anything that feels wrong. Reports are private and reviewed by a person.
5. Guardian AI helps keep chats safe. It can make mistakes, and people review appeals.

Be kind

• Everyone here is learning. Explain, don't tease.
• No bullying, insults, threats or hate.
• Don't leave people out on purpose, or gang up on someone.
• If you disagree, talk about the idea, not the person.

Keep it about learning

• Stay on your group's subject.
• No spam. Don't flood a chat, send the same message again and again, or mention lots of people at once.
• Don't advertise or sell anything, including tutoring. ClassMates never handles payments between users.

Protect your privacy, and other people's

• Keep phone numbers, home addresses, personal e-mail addresses, ID numbers, passwords, card numbers and social media names out of ClassMates, even with friends.
• Don't share anyone else's personal details or photos without their permission.
• Your school e-mail address may be fine, depending on your school's settings.

Share safe links and files

• Only open links you trust. If a link asks you to download something or sign in, check with a teacher first.
• Your school decides which websites can be shared. A link to another site may be held for a person to check.
• Share only the file types your school allows. Files are checked before your group can see them.
• Only share things you have the right to share.

Nothing sexual, nothing that puts anyone at risk

• No sexual content. Study material, such as biology, is fine when it's on topic.
• Never ask anyone for photos, to meet up, or to move to another app.
• We have zero tolerance for child sexual abuse and exploitation. Read our Child Safety Standards.

Be honest

• Use your own account, and give your real birth year.
• Don't pretend to be someone else, including a teacher or a school.
• Don't try to get round safety checks, limits, quiet hours or a restriction.

Look after yourself and each other

• Take breaks. Step away when you feel tired or upset. Your work is saved.
• If something online upsets you, you don't have to handle it alone. Report it, block the person, and tell a trusted adult. It's never your fault.
• If you or someone you know might be in danger, or thinking about self-harm, tell a trusted adult straight away. In Sri Lanka, children can call 1929, the National Child Protection Authority's helpline. It's free, open 24 hours, and speaks Sinhala, Tamil and English.

Calls

Where voice and video calls are turned on, these guidelines apply to them too. You only ever join a call you choose to join.

What happens when something goes wrong

Before you send, Guardian AI may:

• suggest keeping the group on its subject. Nothing is blocked, and you decide;
• warn you that a message might hurt someone. You can edit it, or send it anyway. A message sent anyway after a warning may go to a person to check.

Not posted. A message with contact details, an unsafe link or something that could harm someone isn't posted. Only you can see it. You can edit it, delete it, or ask a person to review it.

Held for a person. If Guardian isn't sure, it holds the message, note, deck, file or link, and a person decides.

Removed. A moderator can remove something from a group after reviewing it. You keep your own copy of notes and decks.

Sending paused. For something serious, or something that keeps happening, a moderator can pause your sending for a while. You can still read and study.

Someone at risk. If Guardian notices that someone might need support, or might be in danger, it holds the message and tells the school's safeguarding lead, a person who can help. The student sees their school's support contacts.

What parents see. A linked parent sees short safety summaries, such as "a message wasn't posted", never the message itself.

The authorities. Where the law requires it, we report to the authorities.

Every restriction is decided by a person, never by AI. And every decision can be appealed to a person: tap "Ask a person to review".

Reporting and blocking

• Report a message: touch and hold it in chat (or right-click it in a browser), then choose Report message.
• Report a person: open the group's Members, touch and hold their name, then choose Report.
• Reports are confidential. A person reviews every one, and the person you reported isn't told who reported them.
• Block someone when you report a message. They aren't told. You'll still see teachers' announcements.
• To unblock someone, open Blocked & muted in the Safety centre.

Group rules

Each group has its own rules, and everyone agrees to them before joining. Teachers and group owners write them. Group rules add to these guidelines; they never replace them.

Your school's safety level

Each school chooses how strict Guardian AI is: Gentle, Balanced (the default) or Strict. A class can make it stricter, never looser. At every level, contact details and unsafe links are held, and you can always ask a person to review.