Child Safety
Version 1 — pending legal review before final publication.
Our standards
PUNCH has zero tolerance for child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE). Content that sexualizes, endangers, or exploits children is removed, the account behind it is terminated immediately and permanently, and — where the law requires it — the matter is reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). These are the same rules for everyone, with no exceptions for large accounts.
How to report
- Every post, account, and Direct Message can be reported from inside the app. DM reports use the report-with-context flow, so the report carries what the reviewer needs without exposing your Encrypted DMs to other users.
- Reports are reviewed by a human within 24 hours.
- Both the reporter and the reported account receive a written outcome. Every decision is visible — there is no silent action.
What happens to suspected child sexual abuse material
- Uploads are scanned. Suspected child sexual abuse material is quarantined automatically and is not publicly visible while a restricted, trained human reviewer examines it.
- Confirmed material means permanent account termination and preservation of the evidence in an append-only audit trail.
- Where the law requires it, we report confirmed material to NCMEC via its CyberTipline and cooperate with law enforcement.
- Aggregate outcomes are published as quarterly transparency numbers on our published rules page — computed from the same audit trail, never hand-edited.
Age policy
PUNCH is 13+. Everyone states their date of birth once at signup, and the 13+ floor is enforced at the database level — an account that has not stated an eligible date of birth cannot post. Accounts belonging to children under 13 are removed when identified, in line with our privacy policy.
Designated contact
Our designated point of contact for child safety concerns — including reports from users, parents, and law enforcement — is:
This inbox is monitored. Child safety reports are prioritized ahead of every other category.
Related
- Our published rules — what is removed, what is never removed, and how appeals work
- Privacy policy
- Terms of service