Legal
Child Safety Standards
Last updated 3 October 2026 · Read the Privacy Policy
Our standards against child sexual abuse and exploitation, how to report it, and what we do when a report arrives.
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Our position
ShapedSocial LTD has no tolerance for child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE) in any form, on Circl or anywhere else. This includes child sexual abuse material, grooming, sextortion, the solicitation of minors, and any attempt to use Circl to make contact with a child for those purposes.
Anyone found doing any of it loses their account immediately and permanently, and we report them to the appropriate authorities. There is no warning, no appeal on the first instance, and no exception.
How Circl is built, and why that matters here
Circl is not a social network and has no public surface. There is no feed, no follower system, no discovery, no public profile and no way to search for or message a stranger. A person can only see, or be seen by, people who are already members of a space they have joined, and a space is joined by an invite code shared privately between people who know each other.
We say this plainly because it shapes the risk: Circl offers no mechanism for an adult to find or contact an unknown child. It does not make us complacent. Invite codes can be passed to anybody, and a closed group can still be used to do harm.
Minimum age
Circl is for people aged 13 and over. This is stated in our Terms of Service and in our Privacy Policy.
We do not knowingly collect personal data from a child under 13. If we learn that an account belongs to someone under 13, we terminate it and delete the data associated with it.
What is prohibited
The following are banned outright and are grounds for immediate and permanent removal:
Child sexual abuse material, in any form, including photographs, video, drawings, and computer-generated or AI-generated depictions.
Grooming, or any attempt to build a relationship with a child for the purpose of sexual exploitation or abuse.
Sextortion, or threatening to share intimate imagery of a person.
Sexualised commentary about a child, or any sexualised use of a child's image or location.
Using Circl's location features to track, follow, approach or meet a child without the knowledge and consent of a parent or guardian.
How to report
If you encounter any of this on Circl, report it. You do not need to be certain, and you will not be penalised for reporting something that turns out to be innocent.
In the app: open Settings, then Support, and send us a message. Say that it concerns child safety and we will treat it as urgent.
By email: write to support@circlapp.org, or to our child safety contact at safety@shapedsocial.co.uk.
Reports about child safety are prioritised above every other kind of message we receive.
If a child is in immediate danger, contact your local police first. In the United Kingdom, call 999. You can also report directly to the National Crime Agency's CEOP Safety Centre at ceop.police.uk/safety-centre, or to the Internet Watch Foundation at iwf.org.uk.
What we do when a report arrives
A person reviews every report. We do not use automated judgement to decide these.
Where a report is substantiated we remove the content, terminate the accounts involved, and preserve the relevant records so that an investigation is possible. We report to the relevant authority, which for the United Kingdom means the National Crime Agency, and we cooperate fully with law enforcement requests that are lawfully made.
We retain what the law requires us to retain for this purpose, even where our ordinary retention schedule would have deleted it sooner.
Compliance
We comply with applicable child safety law in the jurisdictions where Circl is available, including the Online Safety Act 2023 and the Protection of Children Act 1978 in the United Kingdom, and with Google Play's Child Safety Standards policy and Apple's App Store Review Guidelines.
We have assessed Circl against the Information Commissioner's Office Age Appropriate Design Code, which applies to services likely to be accessed by children in the United Kingdom, and we act on what that assessment finds.
Point of contact
Child safety matters, including from law enforcement, should go to safety@shapedsocial.co.uk.
ShapedSocial LTD, registered in England and Wales under company number 17454958, 66 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NA.
These standards are reviewed at least annually, and after any incident.
Contact
ShapedSocial LTD, registered in England and Wales under company number 17454958, 66 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NA.
Email support@circlapp.org.
For anything about your personal data, including a request to access, correct or delete it, contact our Data Protection Officer at DPO@shapedsocial.co.uk. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk, or on 0303 123 1113. We would rather you came to us first, but you do not have to.