Parental Control Guide

Age Requirements

ChatHindi's minimum age requirement is 13 years old — consistent with the Information Technology Act 2008, India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 (which defines a "child" as under 18 for data protection purposes), and international standards including COPPA.

For users aged 13–17, we consider them "young users" and apply additional considerations in how we moderate content around them. We encourage parental involvement and supervision for this age group, and the settings recommendations in this guide are specifically designed for teenagers.

If you believe a child under 13 has registered on ChatHindi, please contact us immediately at support@chathindi.co.in. We will verify and delete the account within 48 hours.

What ChatHindi Is — and Is Not

What ChatHindi is

• A real-time text and voice chat platform for Indian users
• A place to make friends, discuss interests, and connect in Hindi and regional languages
• A platform with active human moderation, a report system, and a block function
• Free to use with no in-app purchases or subscription requirements

What ChatHindi is not

Built-In Safety Features

1. Block and Ignore

Any user can block any other user with a single tap. Once blocked:

• The blocked user's messages become completely invisible to your child
• The blocked user cannot send DMs to your child
• The blocked user does not receive a notification that they've been blocked
• Blocking is reversible from Settings → Blocked Users

Recommendation: Teach your child to use the Block function immediately if anyone makes them uncomfortable — without hesitation or guilt.

2. DM (Direct Message) Controls

ChatHindi allows users to control who can send them private messages. Settings → Message Filter has three options:

• Everyone: Any user can DM (default)
• Friends only: Only accepted friend connections can DM
• Nobody: DMs completely disabled — only room chat

Recommendation for teens: Set to "Friends only" or "Nobody." Public room chat is visible to moderators; private DMs are not, making DMs the higher-risk vector for grooming or inappropriate contact.

3. Message Reporting

Every message in ChatHindi has a report button (⚑ flag icon). Tapping it opens a reason selector:

• Sexual content
• Harassment or bullying
• Hate speech
• Spam
• Violence or threats
• Other

Reports go immediately to the moderation queue. Human moderators review reports within 24 hours. Child safety reports (any sexual content involving or targeting minors) are prioritised within 12 hours and escalated immediately.

4. Human Moderation

ChatHindi uses human moderators — not purely automated AI filters — to review reports and monitor public rooms. This is especially important for Hindi and regional language content where automated tools are less reliable. Our moderators understand Indian cultural context, slang, and the nuances of when a term is friendly versus harmful.

5. Transparent Admin Presence

Verified ChatHindi admins are visually marked in rooms with a special badge. Users can see that moderation is present and active. This visibility acts as a deterrent to bad actors and a reassurance to younger users.

6. No Anonymous Accounts for Harmful Acts

While ChatHindi does not require an email or phone number (to protect privacy), our admin system maintains IP-level ban capabilities. This means users who are banned for harmful conduct cannot simply create a new account and continue — our systems detect and block ban circumvention.

Recommended Settings for Young Users (13–17)

1. Set DMs to "Friends only" — Settings → Message Filter → Friends only. This means only people your child has explicitly added as friends can contact them privately.
2. Use a non-identifying username — The username should not contain real name, school name, city, or birth year.
3. Leave Location and About Me blank — These profile fields are optional. Encourage your child to leave them empty.
4. Only add people they know in real life as friends — The friend system can be valuable for maintaining connections, but should be limited to trusted real-world contacts.
5. Do not share personal photos — Teach your child that profile avatars should not show their face, and that sharing personal photos with strangers carries risk.
6. Tell a trusted adult immediately — If anyone asks for personal information, sends inappropriate content, asks to meet in person, or asks them to keep conversations secret from parents.

Online Safety Conversations — What to Discuss With Your Child

The most effective parental control is an open, trusting conversation. Here are specific topics to cover with your child before they use ChatHindi or any online platform:

• Private information is private: Real name, school, class, address, phone number, and location should never be shared in any online space with someone you don't know in real life.
• Photo safety: Never share photos of yourself, your home, your school uniform, or your location.
• The "tell me if anything feels wrong" promise: Make it clear that your child will not get in trouble for telling you about something uncomfortable that happened online. Many children hide incidents from parents out of fear of losing device access.
• Recognising grooming: Adults who try to build secret relationships with children online, who offer gifts or special attention, who try to isolate them from friends and family, or who ask them to keep the conversation secret are engaging in grooming behaviour. This should be reported immediately.
• Healthy screen time: ChatHindi can be a positive social experience, but establish reasonable daily limits and encourage balance with offline activities.

How to Report a Child Safety Concern

When reporting a child safety concern to us, please include:

• Your child's ChatHindi username
• The offending user's username
• Screenshots of the concerning content (if available)
• A description of what occurred and approximate dates/times

You can also report child sexual abuse material (CSAM) directly to NCPCR (National Commission for Protection of Child Rights) at ncpcr.gov.in or through the Cyber Crime portal at cybercrime.gov.in.

What ChatHindi Prohibits (Absolute Rules)

Regardless of any other considerations, the following are never permitted on ChatHindi and result in immediate permanent ban plus mandatory reporting to authorities:

• Any sexual content involving minors — in any form, described or depicted
• Grooming behaviour — building inappropriate relationships with minors through chat
• Soliciting personal information from minors
• Asking minors to meet in person
• Sharing content designed to circumvent parental controls

Contact

Child safety reports: safety@chathindi.co.in (reviewed within 12 hours)
General support: support@chathindi.co.in
National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930
NCPCR Child Helpline: 1098