Youth Safety Policy

Youth Safety Policy

At COYA, we want to help everyone - including teens - build their gaming legacy and possibly make their first dollar online. That’s why we’ve built specific protections for users under 18 to make sure their experience on COYA is both empowering and secure.

We know young people are increasingly active in the digital economy, and we want them to thrive - but not at the expense of safety, privacy, or oversight. Whether a minor is exploring our marketplace, joining communities, sharing content, or starting to earn, we have strict systems in place to protect them from inappropriate behavior, ensure compliance with global laws, and give parents peace of mind.

This page explains exactly how we protect younger users, what parents should know, and how to get in touch if there’s ever a concern.

Overview

This document outlines the platform-wide protections and compliance policies for users under the age of 18 on COYA.

It includes:

• Age verification
• Content moderation rules
• Parental consent disclosures
• Trust & Safety escalation protocols

These policies apply to all COYA staff, moderators, and automated systems, including our internal moderation tools.

Age Verification

Implementation:

• Date of birth (DOB) will required during user signup / onboarding process.
• Users under 13 will be blocked from registering (COPPA compliance).
• Users aged 13–17 will be flagged as "minor accounts" and subject to additional protections.

User Interface Changes for Under 18 Accounts

Dashboard Banner (Mandatory Acknowledgement)

All under 18 users see a persistent acknowledgment, which must be acknowledged before proceeding.

Restriction of certain group categories

All under 18 users are restricted from joining groups categorized as gambling, sports betting, and dating.

Platform Safety Policy: Protecting Underage Users on COYA

1. Content Monitoring & Moderation:

• All user-generated content (UGC), including listings, bios, posts, comments, and DMs, is reviewed by internal tools.
• Accounts flagged as minors are subject to stricter moderation thresholds.
• Sexual, grooming-related, or manipulative content is immediately escalated.
• Any messages or content flagged as inappropriate and involving minors are immediately reviewed by the Trust & Safety team.
• Minor's are not permitted to join communities that have been restricted by the creator by age. This includes communities that focus on betting and other adult themes, and content rewards that may involve sexually suggestive material, nicotine, casinos, or other categories deemed to be inappropriate for minors by COYA.

2. DM and Communication Controls:

• All Direct Messages and chat groups are monitored using both AI and human reviews
• Conversations flagged as potentially inappropriate are escalated immediately.

3. Purchasing Policy for Minors:

• Users under 18 are acknowledging Parental Consent if making a purchase.

4. Earning/KYC Policy for Minors:

• Users under 18 cannot earn until:
  • COYA’s payment processor verifies guardian's identity and
  • Guardian provides consent via email confirmation code

5. Legal Compliance References:

• COPPA: Under 13s are blocked; no data collected.
• California BPC § 22580: Minor users can request deletion of their content.
• GDPR/UK Children's Code: Parental consent required for under 18s to earn; content and behavioral tracking is limited for minors.

Trust & Safety Protocol: Communication & Escalation Involving Minors

1. Support Interactions with Minors:

• Support representatives must avoid:
  • Casual or informal tone implying familiarity
  • Asking for personal or identifying information unless required
  • Continuing conversations unnecessarily after issue resolution

2. If Inappropriate Content Is Identified:

• Immediately remove any inappropriate content.
• Flag the account and record the incident in the internal case log.
• Escalate to Trust & Safety leadership.
• If there's any indication of grooming, sexual contact, or predatory behavior:
  • Preserve content and metadata for law enforcement
  • Suspend involved accounts immediately
  • Notify parents or guardians if required by law
  • File a report with NCMEC (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children), if applicable

Internal Auditing & Review

• All under-18 flagged accounts will be audited quarterly:
  • KYC status
  • Moderation and content flags
  • Purchase and earning activity