COMMUNITY_GUIDELINES
EFFECTIVE: MARCH 30, 2026
Our Community Mission
BalanceBoard's Connect features exist to help students feel less alone in the pressure of school life. Whether you're venting about exam stress, studying with peers, or sharing a win — this space works only if it's safe for everyone. These guidelines apply to all users in all community spaces on BalanceBoard.
1. Core Values
Respect
Treat everyone as you'd want to be treated. Behind every anonymous username is a real person with real feelings.
Safety First
Never encourage or normalize self-harm, dangerous behaviors, or illegal activities.
Anonymity with Accountability
You can be anonymous to other students. You are not anonymous to BalanceBoard's safety systems.
Peer Support ≠ Professional Help
You can support each other, but please always recommend professional resources for serious concerns.
Authenticity
Be honest about your experiences. This space works when people are real, not when they perform.
Inclusion
Students of all backgrounds, identities, abilities, and academic levels belong here.
2. Universal Rules — All Features
These rules apply everywhere on BalanceBoard — Vent Rooms, Study Pods, and Peer Support Forum:
ZERO TOLERANCE — Immediate Permanent Ban
- Sharing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) or any sexual content involving minors
- Detailed instructions or encouragement for self-harm or suicide methods (see Safe Messaging Policy)
- Credible threats of violence against specific individuals, schools, or groups
- Doxxing — sharing another person's private real-world information without consent
- Sharing content intended to facilitate real-world violence or terrorism
Zero-tolerance violations will be reported to relevant authorities and law enforcement where legally required.
PROHIBITED — Results in Suspension or Ban
- Bullying, harassment, or targeted attacks on specific individuals
- Hate speech: content that demeans people based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or national origin
- Attempting to unmask or identify anonymous users
- Sharing or soliciting explicit sexual content of any kind
- Impersonating teachers, administrators, counselors, or other students
- Distributing spam, phishing links, or malicious content
- Promoting or glorifying eating disorders, substance abuse, or dangerous health practices
- Academic dishonesty coordination (organizing cheating rings, sharing exam answers)
- Advertising, commercial solicitation, or self-promotion of external services
- Creating multiple accounts to evade bans
DISCOURAGED — May Result in Warning or Content Removal
- Excessive negativity that makes the space feel hopeless or toxic
- Sharing unsolicited opinions on deeply personal choices
- Posting the same content repeatedly (spam)
- Vague or misleading crisis posts without genuine distress (misuse of crisis resources)
- Dismissing or minimizing others' experiences ("that's not a real problem")
3. Vent Rooms — Specific Rules
Vent Rooms are safe spaces for emotional release. They come with unique protections and responsibilities:
- Messages auto-delete after 24 hours. This is intentional — what you share stays ephemeral so you can be honest without permanent record-keeping. However, moderation records may be retained.
- Match the room topic. Each Vent Room is themed (Exam Stress, Family Pressure, Burnout, etc.). Keep your venting relevant to the room's theme.
- Listen before advice-giving. Sometimes people just need to be heard. Ask before jumping to solutions.
- No "one-upping." Don't dismiss someone's struggle by saying your situation is worse. Pain is not a competition.
- Refer to crisis resources for serious situations. If someone shares something that sounds like a genuine crisis, please respond with crisis resource information (988, Crisis Text Line). Do not try to be someone's counselor.
- Reactions, not interrogation. Use the reaction/me-too features. Avoid pressuring someone to share more than they're comfortable with.
4. Study Pods — Specific Rules
Study Pods are collaborative academic workspaces. Keep them focused and respectful:
- Academic focus. Study Pods are for studying, not socializing or venting. If you need emotional support, the Vent Rooms are better suited.
- No cheating. Using a Study Pod to share exam answers, coordinate plagiarism, or collectively complete assignments is a violation of these Guidelines and your school's honor code. BalanceBoard will cooperate with schools investigating academic dishonesty when legally required.
- File sharing rules. Only share files relevant to studying. Do not share copyrighted material in violation of intellectual property law. No executable files or software.
- Video/audio calls. Obtain consent before recording any calls. Do not record other participants without their knowledge.
- Respect the anonymous identity system. Do not pressure others to reveal their real names. Do not claim to know someone's real identity.
- Pod administrators. Pod creators have moderation authority within their pods. Exercise this responsibly — you cannot use mod powers to target or harass members.
5. Peer Support Forum — Specific Rules
The Peer Support Forum is a Reddit-style anonymous board for sharing tips, wins, struggles, and questions:
- Post types: Use the correct category (Question, Tip, Rant, Resource, Success, Discussion). Mislabeling causes confusion and reduces the value of others' contributions.
- Voting is for helpfulness, not popularity. Downvote content that is harmful or off-topic — not content you simply disagree with.
- Mark helpful answers as solutions. If a question gets answered, mark it — it helps future students with the same question.
- Cite sources. If you're sharing study tips or wellness advice, share where you learned it. Accuracy matters.
- Success posts are valid. Share wins without apology. Celebrating academic and personal achievements is encouraged.
- Rant posts have limits. You can rant about situations (exam pressure, a tough week) but not target specific people (teachers, peers, family members) with identifiable insults.
- Resources must be accurate. Do not share misinformation, pseudoscience, or harmful "wellness" advice. Verify before posting.
6. Safe Messaging in the Community
When a peer shares something that sounds serious, here's how to respond helpfully:
DO:
- Acknowledge their feelings: "That sounds really hard. I hear you."
- Validate without minimizing: "It makes sense that you feel that way."
- Ask if they want support or solutions: "Do you want to vent, or would tips be helpful?"
- Share crisis resources if they express thoughts of self-harm
- Encourage them to talk to a counselor or trusted adult if things are serious
- Use the "Me Too" feature if you've experienced something similar
DON'T:
- Try to be someone's therapist if they're in crisis
- Share detailed methods of self-harm or suicide
- Tell someone their problem isn't serious or they shouldn't feel that way
- Promise confidentiality if they share something that requires adult intervention
- Share someone else's vent room messages outside the platform
- React to crisis posts with shock or disgust — respond with resources and calm
7. How to Report Violations
If you see content that violates these Guidelines:
- In-app reporting: Use the report button (flag icon) on any post, message, or comment. Select the reason and submit — we review all reports.
- Email: support@balanceboard.app with subject "Content Report." Include a description and, if possible, a screenshot.
- Crisis reports: If you believe someone is in immediate danger, use "Safety Emergency" as the subject line or call 911 directly.
Reports are reviewed within 24 hours for urgent cases, 72 hours for non-urgent cases. All reports are confidential — the person you report will not be told who reported them.
False reports submitted maliciously to harass other users are themselves a violation of these Guidelines.
8. Moderation & Consequences
BalanceBoard uses a combination of automated moderation (rate limiting, keyword filters, duplicate detection) and human review. Consequences for violations scale with severity:
Warning
For minor first-time violations. Content removed, user notified of the rule.
Feature Restriction
Specific feature (e.g., Vent Rooms) restricted for 7–30 days for repeated minor violations or single moderate violations.
Temporary Account Suspension
7–90 day full suspension for serious violations or patterns of behavior. Academic features (tasks, classroom sync) may remain accessible.
Permanent Ban
Permanent removal from BalanceBoard for zero-tolerance violations or repeated serious violations. Account data may be retained for legal and safety records.
To appeal a moderation decision, email support@balanceboard.app with subject "Moderation Appeal" within 14 days of the action. We aim to review appeals within 5 business days.
9. Anonymity Is Not a Shield
Our anonymous features are designed to protect you from social embarrassment — not to enable harmful behavior without consequence. Here's what you should know:
- BalanceBoard maintains internal records linking your anonymous posts to your real account for safety and moderation purposes.
- If a post violates these Guidelines and is reported, we can identify the account that posted it and take action.
- If we receive a valid legal subpoena, court order, or emergency disclosure request, we may be required to disclose account identity. We will notify you to the extent legally permitted.
- Using anonymous features to harass, bully, or threaten others is treated with the same severity as doing so under your real name.