Child Safety Standards Policy

Our commitment to protecting children and ensuring a safe digital environment

Child Safety Standards Policy

Last Updated: August 5, 2025

About PanchayathApp

PanchayathApp is a hyperlocal social media platform designed to empower communities by enabling users to report and discuss civic grievances. Our goal is to connect people within local neighborhoods to collectively identify and resolve public issues. While we promote civic engagement and transparency, we are equally committed to ensuring the platform remains safe for all users—especially children.

This Child Safety Standards Policy outlines our measures to detect and prevent child sexual abuse material (CSAM), protect minors, and comply with legal and platform-specific requirements, including those set by Google Play and Indian law.

1. Our Commitment to Child Protection

PanchayathApp has a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of child sexual abuse, exploitation, grooming, or content endangering children. Our platform strictly enforces safety guidelines and cooperates with law enforcement to address violations.

2. Compliance with Indian Laws

We comply with all relevant Indian child protection laws and digital safety regulations:

  • Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012
  • Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000 and IT Rules, 2021
  • Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015
  • Relevant IPC sections covering online harm to children

These laws guide our content policies, enforcement protocols, and cooperation with authorities.

3. Prohibited Content and Activities

The following are strictly prohibited on PanchayathApp:

  • Uploading or posting child sexual abuse material (CSAM)
  • Posting images, videos, or text that depict or promote the sexualization of minors
  • Harassment, bullying, or targeting of minors through comments or posts
  • Impersonation of a minor or misrepresentation of age for malicious intent

Even though PanchayathApp does not support private messaging, we remain vigilant in monitoring public content and user behavior to prevent and respond to any such incidents.

4. Platform Features and Risk Controls

✅ Permitted Features:

  • Users can post civic grievances.
  • Other users can verify grievances (status updates when 5+ verifications are received).
  • Users can like, dislike, or comment on posts.
  • Users can connect with others, but cannot privately message them.

❌ No Direct Messaging:

There is no direct messaging or chat feature in PanchayathApp, significantly reducing risks of private predatory communication.

We continuously monitor public interactions (comments, posts, profile names) for potential abuse signals.

5. In-App Reporting and Moderation Tools

Users are empowered to report issues quickly and easily:

  • Report a post or comment: Every post and comment includes a "Report" button.
  • Report a profile: Users can flag suspicious or inappropriate user accounts.
  • Anonymous reporting: Users can report without revealing their identity.

Our Trust & Safety team reviews high-risk reports within 24 hours. Verified violations result in immediate removal and, if required, legal escalation.

6. CSAM Detection and Legal Reporting

If child sexual abuse material is detected:

  • The content is immediately removed.
  • Account(s) involved are suspended or banned.
  • Content and data are preserved securely for evidence.

Reports are made to:

  • National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (cybercrime.gov.in)
  • Local police or cyber cell authorities
  • Child protection agencies like NCPCR

We also use hash-matching techniques to detect known CSAM signatures.

7. Child Safety Contact Point

If you have child safety concerns or need to report an issue:

📧 Email: [email protected]

8. Age Requirements and Gating

  • PanchayathApp is designed for users aged 13 and above.
  • We discourage underage use through clear age disclosures during sign-up.
  • We use AI pattern detection and behavioral flags to identify underage users or impersonation.
  • Profiles and interactions of users under 18 may be subject to additional moderation and reduced visibility if needed.

9. Education and Community Awareness

We actively work to:

  • Display in-app educational messages about online safety.
  • Run digital literacy campaigns in regional languages.
  • Encourage parents and guardians to monitor app usage.
  • Partner with child safety organizations and cyber crime cells for awareness programs.

10. Industry Standards and Transparency

PanchayathApp follows the Tech Coalition's Best Practices for Combating Online CSEA, along with global best practices modeled after leading social platforms such as Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn.

We also commit to:

  • Publishing bi-annual transparency reports (from 2026 onwards)
  • Continually auditing our moderation workflows and improving them

11. Enforcement Measures

Violations of this policy will lead to:

  • Immediate content removal
  • Account suspension or ban
  • Reporting to law enforcement
  • Permanent blacklisting of accounts or devices involved in child harm

Repeat violations result in full account deactivation and IP bans.

12. Conclusion

At PanchayathApp, we believe that civic engagement must be rooted in trust and responsibility. By creating a safer environment for everyone—especially children—we ensure that our platform remains a force for positive, local change.

We ask every user to stay vigilant, report abuse, and help us foster a secure, respectful digital community.

📧 To report a safety issue: [email protected]