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Last updated: March 24, 2026
This document constitutes the children's risk assessment for UnityFreak, as required under section 11 of the Online Safety Act 2023. It assesses the risks that content and functionality on the platform may pose to children who use or may use the service.
UnityFreak is a software development education and community platform. While the platform is primarily designed for adult users, we recognise that users aged 16 and 17 may use the service and we have a duty to protect them.
The minimum age to create an account on UnityFreak is 16 years old. Users must provide their date of birth during registration, and accounts for users under 16 are not permitted.
For the purposes of this assessment, the relevant age group is children aged 16-17. These users may access all core platform features (courses, forums, messaging, community) but face restrictions on certain features as detailed in section 4.
The following risks have been identified for children aged 16-17 using the platform, organised by content type and functionality.
Risks: Grooming, unwanted contact from strangers, sharing of inappropriate content through private channels.
Mitigations: Users under 18 can only receive messages from accepted connections. This connections-only messaging default cannot be changed by the user. Enhanced moderation is applied to messages involving minor accounts, including automated scanning for patterns associated with grooming behaviour and attempts to share personal contact information.
Risks: Exposure to inappropriate, harmful, or distressing content posted by other users in forums, comments, or course materials.
Mitigations: All user-generated content is subject to automated content moderation using toxicity detection models. A reporting system is available on every piece of content. Reported content is reviewed within 24 hours. Community guidelines are enforced consistently and violations result in content removal and account sanctions.
Risks: Financial exploitation, exposure to scams, pressure to make purchases, unfair contract terms.
Mitigations: Users under 18 are not permitted to sell on the marketplace or offer freelance services. An 18+ age gate is enforced for these features. Identity verification is required for all sellers. Purchases by minors require parental consent as part of the account verification process.
Risks: Privacy concerns, unwanted contact from strangers who discover profile information, potential for profiles to be used to target minors.
Mitigations: Profiles for users under 18 are private by default and are not included in public search results or external search engine indexing. Only accepted connections can view the full profile. The user's age is never publicly displayed.
Risks: Harmful content amplification, filter bubbles, exposure to inappropriate content through automated suggestions.
Mitigations: Safety is a consideration in the recommendation algorithm for all users. For users under 18, additional safety weighting is applied. Users can opt for a chronological feed instead of algorithmic recommendations at any time through their account settings.
The following protections are applied by default to all accounts belonging to users under 18:
This risk assessment is reviewed at least annually. Additional reviews are conducted when:
Monitoring of the effectiveness of our mitigations is ongoing. We track moderation volumes, report rates, and response times for content involving minor accounts.
For questions about this risk assessment or to report a child safety concern, contact us at [email protected].