Community Guidelines for Gelesen.

Gelesen is a social gaming platform where players from all over the world are invited to come together to write their chat-like stories and share them with the world.

Our community guidelines are designed to help us maintain a healthy gaming experience. By following these guidelines, you can help us create a community where everyone feels respected.

Respect Others:

  • Treat all members with kindness, respect, and empathy.
  • We have a zero-tolerance policy for any content that is discriminating, harassing or demeaning.
  • Keep your religious and/or political views to yourself, when interacting with other members of the community.

Privacy:

  • Do not share personal information about yourself or others.
  • Respect other users’ privacy and do not invade their personal space.

Content Guidelines:

  • Do not upload or share content that is sexually explicit, violent, or illegal.
  • Do not use copyrighted material without proper authorization.
  • Content should be apolitical from contemporary politics.

Reporting:

  • If you encounter any behavior that violates our guidelines, report it.

Age Restrictions:

  • Users under the age of 13 may require parental consent to use our platform.
  • Ensure you comply with age restrictions as specified in our terms of service.

Enforcement:

  • We may take action if guidelines are violated. This may include warnings, suspensions, or permanent bans.
  • Appeals may be considered, but users must provide compelling reasons for a second chance.

By using Gelesen, you agree to these Community Guidelines, our Terms of Service and our Data Protection Policy. We reserve the right to remove any content or suspend accounts that do not comply with our community guidelines, without notice and at any time.

đź’ˇTips for staying safe online

Tips to help children stay safe online:

  • You know your child better than anyone else. What works for some children doesn’t work for others, depending on age, maturity level, and other factors.
  • Express interest in the apps your child uses and the sites they visit. Get to know your child’s favorite apps and games so you can understand the platform, its privacy settings, and why your child likes it.
  • Communication is the key. Make it a conversation, not a lecture, and reassure your child that they can come to you if they experience any problems. Let them know that you won’t overreact and that protecting them is more important than punishing them. 
  • Talk to your child about security and privacy and the importance of using strong and unique passwords and other authentication tools, such as fingerprint or facial recognition.
  • Make sure young people understand the risks, such as distributing nude or intimate photos or videos, bullying, misinformation, and harm to their reputation. The conversation can be short, but you should revisit it periodically. Reassure them that if something bad happens, you will be there to help.
  • Consider using tools like Screen Time to monitor your child’s device use, but make it a learning experience and revisit any controls as your child matures. This will help them develop the ability to use technology responsibly now and in the future.
🚨Sexual Grooming

Identifying grooming and talking to children and teens about it.

Grooming is a tactic abusers use to build relationships with young people so they can manipulate, exploit, and hurt them. Abusers may befriend a child to gradually gain their trust with the intention of abusing them.

People who groom children are often patient, persistent, and good at manipulation. Sometimes people who groom young people online also know them in person.

Protect young people by having age-appropriate conversations with them about grooming. Assure your child that if someone is grooming them, it’s not their fault.

Open communication is vital. Protecting young people from grooming is an ongoing process to help them develop their warning systems and feel comfortable alerting you if something goes wrong.

Regardless of their age, the best way to know if a child is being groomed online and to prevent potential harm is to talk with them.

  • Check in regularly with your child or teen about their online experiences.
  • Explain that there are people who use the internet to harm young people. These people may pretend to be a friend and ask them to do things that are not safe.
  • Promise not to get angry if they tell you about something bad or if they’ve made a mistake. Groomers rely on fear of punishment to prevent young people from reporting abuse.
  • Agree on rules and boundaries together, including when it is and isn’t OK to engage online with people they don’t know. Consider using tools like Screen Time to help supervise your child’s use of technology.
  • Make sure your child knows how to report people and block or mute accounts in the apps they use.
  • Talk about online security and privacy practices and settings.
  • Make sure your child understands what personal information should and should not be shared online and why.
  • Help your child distinguish between positive interactions and ones that might be problematic or dangerous. Let them know that if anyone makes them feel uncomfortable for any reason, they can come to you for help.

Talking with a young child about grooming:

  • Use correct names for body parts, and explain which body parts are private and why.
  • Discourage any communication with adults they don’t know.
  • Talk about the difference between OK secrets, like not telling someone about a surprise party, and bad secrets, like not telling a trusted adult when they feel scared or threatened.

Talking with an older child or a preteen about grooming:

  • Practice having them tell you something difficult. Praise them for telling you and let them know you will help them.
  • Recognize that all children are not equally vulnerable.

Talking with a teen about grooming:

  • Have frank discussions about grooming in ways that do not instill fear.
  • Remind them that not everyone is who they say they are or has their best interest in mind.
  • Recognize that teens may have an interest in exploring sexuality, but let them know they can come to you if they encounter anything threatening.
  • Remind them that they have the power to ignore, report, and block anyone who makes them uncomfortable.
  • Explain that anything they share online can be copied and shared with others, either accidentally or on purpose.

Remember: You know your child best. How you address tough topics should depend on your child’s age, maturity level, and other factors, including their vulnerability and emotional state.

They may be reluctant to talk about online relationships and may not be aware that they are being groomed. Assure them that if someone is grooming them, it’s not their fault.

🗣️ Dealing with Cyberbulling

How to identify it and help your child or teen.

 

Cyberbullying is bullying that occurs on digital devices like phones, computers, and tablets. It can occur via text, messaging apps, chat, email, online games, social media, livestreaming, photos, and videos. Bullying is typically defined as aggressive and repeated verbal or physical abuse where there is an imbalance of power, but any form of harassment, including insults, threats, impersonation, spreading rumors, and exclusion, can have a similarly negative impact. Imagery containing nudity can be used to bully. Cyberbullying often happens alongside physical bullying in school or the community. According to a 2022 Pew Research Center study, “Nearly half of U.S. teens have been bullied or harassed online.”

 

It isn’t always obvious that a child is being cyberbullied, and they may not tell you. Although not necessarily signs of cyberbullying, pay close attention if your child has difficulty sleeping; doesn’t want to go to school; exhibits a decreased sense of self-worth; or demonstrates changes in online habits, such as constantly checking social media accounts or avoiding their devices when you are present.

 

Frequent, brief conversations with your child about their online experiences can help foster a relationship where they are more likely to come to you if they experience cyberbullying. It’s also important for your child to understand that if it happens to them, it’s not their fault, and there are people who can help them get through it.

We may change these guidelines without notice at any time.