Child Safety Standards

WhyNot, operated by Next step d.o.o., strictly and explicitly prohibits all forms of child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE) on our platform. This prohibition is absolute and non-negotiable.

The following content and conduct are forbidden and will result in immediate account termination and reporting to relevant authorities:

• Any content that sexually depicts, exploits, or abuses minors (persons under 18 years of age)
• Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) of any kind, including AI-generated content
• Grooming, solicitation, or any attempt to exploit minors for sexual purposes
• Sharing, distributing, or linking to CSAE-related content
• Using WhyNot to arrange or facilitate any form of child sexual abuse or exploitation
• Any communication that sexualizes minors or facilitates access to children for harmful purposes

WhyNot provides users with an accessible, in-app mechanism to report any content or behavior that violates our Child Safety Standards.

• Every user profile and plan can be reported directly from within the app using the report button
• All reports related to child safety are treated with the highest priority and reviewed promptly
• Reports can also be submitted by email to our child safety point of contact at any time
• Users who submit reports in good faith are protected from retaliation

Next step d.o.o. has clear procedures for addressing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) discovered on or reported through WhyNot:

• Any reported or detected CSAM is immediately removed from the platform pending review
• Accounts associated with CSAM are suspended immediately upon detection
• All confirmed CSAM is reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTipline and to relevant local authorities
• We cooperate fully with law enforcement investigations related to child safety
• We retain relevant data as required by applicable law to support investigations

Next step d.o.o. and WhyNot comply with all applicable child safety laws and regulations, including but not limited to:

• The laws of the Republic of Croatia and the European Union regarding child protection
• EU Directive 2011/93/EU on combating sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children
• Google Play's Child Safety Standards and Child Endangerment policies
• Apple App Store's guidelines on child safety
• GDPR provisions relating to data protection for minors

We regularly review our policies and practices to ensure ongoing compliance with evolving child safety laws and platform requirements.

WhyNot implements multiple safeguards designed to protect minors and prevent exploitation:

• Phone number verification is required for all accounts, reducing anonymity and bot activity
• Host approval is required before any user can join a plan, giving users control over who they interact with
• Reliability scoring and user reviews hold community members accountable for their conduct
• Accounts found to be operated by or targeting minors in violation of our policies are permanently banned
• Our moderation team reviews flagged content and accounts promptly