Age standard
SPHERE is designed as a verified 16+ community, supported by age and account-verification measures.
SPHERE™ United Kingdom
Online Safety
A safer community begins with clear standards, thoughtful design, meaningful member control and action when something goes wrong.
Safety by design
Protection should be built into the experience.
The UK Online Safety Act places duties on services to assess risk and use proportionate systems and processes to protect people from illegal content and protect children from harmful content. SPHERE’s UK programme is being developed with those expectations in mind.
Risk awareness
Platform features, contact, visibility and user-generated content should be considered through a safety-risk lens.
Member controls
Privacy choices, blocking, audience controls and reporting help members manage their experience.
Clear rules
Members need understandable standards explaining prohibited behaviour and possible account action.
Responsive review
Reports should be assessed according to urgency, potential harm and the information available.
Responsible intelligence
OUDI D2 is intended to support helpful, educational and creative use within SPHERE’s safety boundaries.
No legitimate place on SPHERE
Conduct that threatens people or trust is prohibited.
SPHERE’s Terms and Community Standards provide the complete rules. The following categories require particular attention.
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Grooming and sexual exploitation
Attempts to manipulate, sexualise, exploit or arrange harmful contact with a younger or vulnerable person are prohibited.
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Child sexual abuse material
Content involving the sexual abuse or exploitation of children is prohibited and may require preservation and reporting to the appropriate authorities.
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Threats, stalking and harassment
Credible threats, repeated unwanted contact, intimidation, stalking and targeted abuse are prohibited.
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Non-consensual intimate imagery
Sharing or threatening to share intimate imagery without consent is prohibited.
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Terrorism and serious illegal activity
Using SPHERE to praise, organise, facilitate or distribute serious illegal activity is prohibited.
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Fraud, impersonation and scams
Deceptive identity use, payment fraud, malicious links and attempts to steal information are prohibited.
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Hateful or dehumanising abuse
Content or conduct attacking people on protected or personal characteristics may violate SPHERE standards.
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Promotion of severe self-harm
Content encouraging suicide, serious self-harm, dangerous challenges or harmful eating-disorder behaviour is not acceptable.
16+
Verified community standardThe 16+ threshold is central to SPHERE’s identity. Members aged 16 and 17 still deserve age-appropriate information, privacy and protection.
Approaching adulthood
Thoughtful safeguards for ages 16–17.
The ICO Children’s Code recognises ages 16–17 as a distinct stage approaching adulthood. SPHERE’s direction is to provide clearer defaults and explanations for younger members without treating every member identically.
- Clear visibility and audience explanations
- Strong controls for unwanted contact
- Age-appropriate safety and reporting language
- Protection from grooming and exploitative behaviour
- Information for parents, families and trusted adults
When something feels wrong
Report it clearly and promptly.
Use Report a Concern for suspected grooming, exploitation, harassment, threats, impersonation, fraud, privacy abuse or prohibited content. Include the relevant username, link, date and a concise description when available. Never include your password.
Open Report a ConcernOfficial UK information
Read the authoritative guidance.
These external resources explain the United Kingdom’s online-safety and children’s-data frameworks.
UK Online Safety ActGovernment collection covering illegal-content duties, child safety and Ofcom’s role.
Ofcom Online SafetyGuidance and regulatory information from the UK online-safety regulator.
ICO Children’s CodeAge-appropriate design guidance for online services likely to be accessed by children.
Information reviewed 17 August 2026. External guidance may change; the linked official sources remain authoritative.