Age Suitability & Safety

1. Age Rating and Intent

CityBuzz is a real-time local network designed for adult and teenage audiences. Our platform facilitates community interaction in urban centers like San Francisco and New York. Due to the unfiltered nature of user-generated content and live city discussion, we enforce a strict 13+ age requirement to ensure a mature and safe environment.

2. Age Verification and "Age Signals"

In compliance with 2026 digital safety mandates (including the Texas Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment Act), CityBuzz utilizes a multi-factor verification system:

• Neutral Age Screens: During registration, users must provide their date of birth. We do not pre-fill or suggest age ranges.
• OS-Level Age Signals: We utilize specialized APIs provided by mobile platforms (iOS/Android) to detect if a device is managed under a "Child Account" and restrict access accordingly.
• Hard Lock-Out: If a user identifies as being under 13, their account creation is terminated instantly and blocked from our production servers.

3. User-Generated Content (UGC) Safeguards

Because CityBuzz is a community-driven platform, we maintain a "Vibe Check" moderation protocol to protect our teen and adult users:

• Real-Time Filtering: Our Safety AI scans incoming threads for graphic violence, prohibited substances, and hate speech.
• Human Oversight: Flagged content is routed to our 24/7 administrative dashboard for manual review and removal.
• The Report/Block Loop: Every user has the immediate capability to report a thread or block another user. Reporting content hides it from your feed instantly and initiates an audit.

4. Zero-Tolerance Content Policy

To maintain our 13+ rating, we strictly prohibit the following content. Violations result in an immediate and permanent account ban:

• Nudity and Sexual Content: Any form of sexually explicit imagery or behavior.
• Graphic Violence: Realistic depictions of physical harm or sadistic behavior.
• Illegal Activities: Facilitation of drug sales, weapons trafficking, or illicit services.
• Harassment: Targeted bullying or "Doxing" of local community members.

5. Protective Defaults for Minors (Ages 13-17)

For users who are verified as being between the ages of 13 and 17, CityBuzz automatically applies "Safety-First" defaults:

• Restricted Messaging: Direct messaging is limited to mutual connections only.
• Privacy Shield: Minor profiles are not indexed by external search engines.
• Data Minimization: We do not utilize the activity data of minor users for targeted advertising or third-party marketing.

6. Parental Rights and Support

Parents or guardians who have concerns regarding a user’s interaction on CityBuzz or believe a child under 13 has bypassed our safeguards can contact our dedicated Safety Team. We prioritize these requests for expedited account deletion and data scrubbing.

Contact Safety: safety@citybuzz.app

7. Regional Compliance Disclosures

CityBuzz complies with the latest 2026 regional safety laws, including the California Delete Act and the UK Age-Appropriate Design Code. We ensure that our local feeds in San Francisco, New York, and other expansion cities adhere to the highest standards of digital ethics and physical safety.