Age and child safety

You must be 13 or older to have an ACADA account, and accounts under 18 get extra protections until the 18th birthday. We ask for a date of birth at sign-up, or the first time you use the site if you signed in with Google or GitHub. It is private: only you and our staff can see it.

How it works

A date of birth under 13 is refused at sign-up, and nothing from it is kept. With Google or GitHub, the account is deleted when the date is given. If the law where you live sets a higher age for agreeing to an online service alone, that age applies to you. We check only against 13, so signing up confirms you meet it.

Accounts under 18

• Your profile starts private, and new followers need your approval. You can change both in Settings → Privacy.
• Only people you follow can message you first or invite you to a group chat. If you write to someone first, they can reply. You can make it stricter, with No one, in Settings → Privacy.
• You are left off the leaderboards and out of suggested people, and other members do not see your XP or level. People in your rooms and courses can still find you there.
• You cannot create courses, join the affiliate programme or be a collaborator. All three pay out through Stripe, which requires an adult.

You can enrol in courses, use every learning tool, take part in rooms and build your portfolio. The protections switch off on your 18th birthday; your profile stays private until you change it.

Rules and limits

• Your date of birth cannot be edited, so a limit cannot be lifted by changing it. If it is wrong, write to support@acada.ac.
• If you are under 18, buy a course only with a parent's or guardian's permission. A parent who did not give it can ask support@acada.ac for a full refund within 14 days of the purchase.
• An account we find belongs to someone under 13 is closed and deleted within 7 days. Any active paid access is refunded, and the email on the account is told.
• A creator, collaborator or affiliate found to be under 18 loses the role until their 18th birthday; money already earned is still paid.

Reporting a concern

Use the reason Child safety on the Report control of whatever it is, or Child safety concern on the support form, or write to support@acada.ac. A person reads every one within 1 business day, and replies to the support form within the same time. If someone is in immediate danger, contact your local police first.

Sexual content involving a minor, or seeking contact with a minor for a sexual purpose, closes the account the day we confirm it. Sexual content involving a minor is reported to NCMEC, the United States clearing house for it, as the law there requires. Parents can use the same routes to tell us a child under 13 has an account.

If something goes wrong

"You need to be 13 or older to use ACADA."

The date of birth given is under 13, so no account can be made.

"This person only receives messages from people they follow."

Their setting is People you follow, and they do not follow you. Your message was not sent. Adults can choose the same setting, so it says nothing about anyone's age.

"You need to be 18 or older to create courses on ACADA."

The paid roles open on your 18th birthday.