At Outschool, we care deeply about the comfort and safety of all our learners.
While we know families differ when it comes to defining what content is appropriate for their child, for the sake of consistency on a platform with children of mixed ages throughout the world, we've tried to strike the right balance of language choices that can be welcoming for all learners, while still maintaining their privacy. With this in mind, we maintain strict standards and consistency in the learner content we allow.
To manage this content, we instilled a thoughtful combination of AI (Artificial Intelligence) coupled with onsite Outschool human moderators to watch over learner spaces. We understand that your child’s comfort and education are paramount to your family, so we want to be as transparent as possible in those rare cases, when we must remove your child’s content.
Learner spaces are monitored closely to ensure that all content meets the standards set in our Privacy Policy, Community Standards, and Golden Rules so Personal Information and, what we call, ‘problem’ content are omitted from Outschool’s platform.
Personal Information
When your learner posts any content that we consider to be Personal Information (PI), we will remove this content from our platform and send you an email serving as a general notification that their user-generated content has been deleted. We want to promote transparency between Outschool and your family as we partner with one another to protect your learner’s privacy. Your learner will not be penalized for posting Personal Information on our platform, as we understand that learners are excited to share information about themselves with their peers. We want to continue that spirit, so we consider those email notifications as learning opportunities. After all, learning is really what Outschool is all about.
Types of PI that are removed to protect your learner:
Personal Contact Information (emails, phone numbers, etc.)
Identifying Information (full names, birthdays, etc.)
Social Media Handles (Youtube channels, Instagram accounts, etc.)
Location-Specific Information (cities, neighborhoods, etc.)
Gaming Handles *
Gaming handles are okay when sent privately to educators as requested in a class description for the purpose of that particular gaming class.
We remove these types of content to protect your learner and their privacy. While we have a variety of security measures in place, we believe in erring on the side of caution when it comes to your child. That way, your learner can focus on what’s important: their love of learning. Rest assured, if your learner builds a strong bond with another peer, you can always message the other learner’s parent and exchange any contact information you choose.
In addition to removing Personal Information, Outschool also reserves the right to remove any websites that are not COPPA (the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act) compliant. Many sites collect Personal Information from those who visit their landing pages. We value your learner and their contributions to Outschool's Community, but we cannot allow younger learners to follow those links and visit any site that collects their Personal Information without their own parents’ prior consent. This includes information that is collected through cookies or trackers to use for online behavioral advertising or profiling.
‘Problem’ Content
As referenced above, Outschool offers classes and activities to diverse populations of learners who vary in geographic locations, ages, and cultures. With this in mind, Outschool strives to ensure that our moderation standards reflect the diversity of our learner community and aim to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone. Our Community Standards remind our learners to “be safe, be kind, and be respectful” when participating in live classes and posting content to Outschool’s platform. Content posted that goes against those standards will be removed by our team. The following are examples of the types of content we’re talking about:
Bullying or Harassment: Language that can be seen as hurtful, offensive, or disrespectful to other learners, educators, and even self-deprecating language, in certain contexts. This includes language that may be intended as a joke but can be misinterpreted by other learners.
Swear Words: Words or phrases that are defined by accredited dictionaries and other platforms as being rude, offensive, or vulgar, this includes direct substitutions for those words (ie. frick). We understand that each family has their own opinions on what is and isn’t acceptable for their learner to say. However, on a platform geared for minors, we aim to make our classrooms comfortable for kids of all ages and their families, so we do not permit those words.
Hate Speech/ Non Inclusive Language: Words or phrases that are defined as slurs or language that treats others unfairly, insults, and/or excludes a person or group of persons.
Sexual Language: While learners are always free to discuss their own identity, all content discussing the act of sex or any sexual acts are prohibited.*
Exceptions can be made for discussions in a sexual education course as long as they are appropriate for the classroom setting and in line with the class Parental Guidance statement.
The first time your learner’s content is removed, because it was deemed as ‘problem’ content, you will receive an email with the content that your learner posted. We ask that you review our Learner Content Moderation Policy and Video with them at that time. If your learner posts an additional piece of content (within a certain period) that goes against our Community Standards, you will not only receive the standard Content Restriction notice, but also a personalized message from our Safety Team that explains why your learner’s specific content was removed. We rely on you to partner with us and help your learner understand our policies, as we want to avoid any disciplinary actions.
Unfortunately, on the rare occasion that a learner does collect a third violation, we will have to take action on your account. This action will be tailored to the needs of your learner and the actual content they posted. Our team will also give you at least 24 hours notice so that you can discuss any of your concerns. We do not want any learner’s education to be affected, and we are willing to work with you to find the best resolution.
We want your family to always have a safe and positive experience when using our platform, so you are always invited to reach out to our team. Please email Safety@Outschool.com with any questions or concerns.