Child Safety

Protecting young people is a priority for Goadvert iAdvertise (Private) Limited. This page explains our standards and how we keep the youngest people on Gists safe.

Who can join

Gists is only for people aged 17 and older. Everyone gives their date of birth when they sign up, including people who sign in with Google or Apple. Anyone younger cannot create an account, and if we learn that someone under 17 has an account, we delete it.

Extra protection for 17-year-olds

Until they turn 18, people aged 17 get these protections automatically:

• Their account is always private: only followers they approve can see their Gists.
• Message requests are always on: messages from people they don't follow wait in a separate requests list, and the sender can't tell whether a request was seen.
• Only followers they have approved can comment on their Gists.
• Strangers can't add them to group chats.
• They are not suggested to adults who don't already follow them, in "Suggested for you" or the "For you" feed.

Zero tolerance for child sexual abuse and exploitation

We prohibit any content or behaviour that sexualises, grooms, exploits or endangers anyone under 18. This includes child sexual abuse material (CSAM), sexual messages to young people, attempts to arrange meetings with them, and sextortion. When we find it, we:

• remove the content and permanently close the accounts involved;
• keep the evidence securely, as the law requires;
• report it to the relevant authorities, including the Zimbabwe Republic Police and international child-protection organisations where appropriate.

How to report

• In Gists, use Report on the profile, Gist, comment or message. Choose Child safety as the reason.
• Or email [email protected] with "Child safety" in the subject. We treat these reports as urgent.
• If a child is in immediate danger, contact your local police first.

Please don't download, screenshot or forward abusive images, even to report them: send us the link or the username instead.

Contact for child safety

Our child-safety contact is Goadvert iAdvertise (Private) Limited, 21 Glenara Avenue South, Eastlea, Harare, Zimbabwe, [email protected]. We cooperate with law enforcement on lawful requests.