Safety, moderation and ethics
A learning space has to be a safe one
Zelo is built for students, many of them under 18. Safety is not a settings page here — it shapes what the platform does and does not let anyone do.
Four layers
How content is kept safe
1. Automated screening before publication
Every post, comment, debate argument and challenge entry passes a safety filter before anyone else can see it. Explicit, abusive or threatening text is blocked outright; borderline content is held.
2. Zilly review
Where Zilly is enabled it reads each post — and looks at attached images — for adult, hateful, violent or dangerous material, and for exam malpractice. Media from new accounts that cannot be checked automatically waits for a person.
3. Human moderators
Anything held goes to a review queue. Trained moderators approve or remove it and must give the author a reason. Automated systems never have the last word on a removal that is appealed.
4. Reporting by the community
Every post, comment, argument, entry, profile and marketplace listing has a Report control. Reports go straight to moderators, and the reporter’s identity is never shown to the person reported.
Fair process
Decisions come with reasons — and a right of appeal
When moderators remove content, issue a warning, or suspend or ban an account, the member is told why and can appeal once. Appeals are reviewed by a moderator who did not make the original decision. If the appeal succeeds, the content is restored and any rank points lost are returned.
Suspended and banned members keep access to their decision history and the appeal form, so nobody is locked out without recourse.
Read the community guidelinesBy design
What Zelo deliberately leaves out
- No private messaging. Members cannot message each other privately. All interaction happens in public, moderated spaces.
- No advertising. Students are not tracked for adverts and are not shown any.
- No engagement-maximising feed. The feed is ordered by recency, the subjects a student chose and educational value — not by what keeps people scrolling.
- No anonymous accounts in the marketplace. Only verified schools can sell.
Academic integrity
Honest work is part of safety
Originality checks
Students can compare their writing with everything published on Zelo before they post, and get advice on what to cite.
Zilly coaches, it does not ghost-write
Asked for an essay to hand in, Zilly helps the student plan and improve their own work instead.
Exam malpractice is prohibited
Selling or sharing leaked exam material, or paying others to do assessed work, leads to removal and suspension.
For parents and guardians
What you should know
Members must be at least 13. If your child is under 18, they are asked to confirm that you know they are joining. Their profile shows a name, username, level and the work they choose to publish.
If you have a concern about anything your child has seen or experienced on Zelo, or you want their account closed, email support@zelo.app and we will respond promptly.
If a child is in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services first.
A network you can recommend
Join a community that takes learning — and each other — seriously.