We host children. That decides everything.
ScholarOut exists to help students show what they've achieved — and we know the same openness that helps a student get noticed can also put them at risk. So the protections come first, and every student under 16 is authorised by a parent or guardian before anyone can see a single thing they've posted.
The rules, in plain words
These are enforced by the system, not by an honour system or a checkbox.
Under 12s can't join
A birthdate is required at sign-up. Anyone under 12 is refused before a profile is ever created — there is no way around it.
Under 16s are authorised by a parent
A parent or guardian's full name, email and phone number (with area code) are required. The student receives a private approval link to send home, and nothing is visible to anyone until an adult opens that link and confirms.
Private until approved — enforced in the database
An unapproved profile, its achievements, skills, videos and scholarship campaign cannot be read by anyone else. The rule lives where the data lives, so no link, search result or screen can be tricked into showing it.
Photos and videos stay in private storage
Media is never published to an open folder. It is delivered only to people who are already allowed to see that student's profile.
No payments from students
Campaigns record pledges only. No card details are collected, scholarship funds are paid to the school rather than to a student, and the 3% platform fee is planned for future funded scholarships.
No ads, and no selling student data
ScholarOut is not an advertising business. We don't sell student information, run advertising networks, or hand profiles to marketers.
What we ask of parents
Parent approval isn't a formality — it's the moment an adult agrees that this profile is safe to publish.
- Give us a real email address you actually check — the approval link and any safety notice goes there.
- Open the approval link and read what your child has posted before you approve it. Approving means you've seen it.
- Keep the profile a showcase, not a diary: no home address, no daily routine, no timetable details.
- Tell your child to bring anything that feels off to you first, and to you second — and tell us.
What we can't promise
Saying this out loud is part of taking it seriously.
- We can't prove the adult who opens the approval link is a parent. The link is our authorisation step and it relies on honesty, so we ask parents to keep it private.
- Once a profile is approved and published, it is a public document. A teacher, recruiter or admissions officer in another country can open the same link you can.
- We are not a live moderation service. Reports are read and acted on as they arrive, not watched in real time.
For schools and officials
- Least-privilege by design. Profile details, achievements, skills, videos, campaigns and pledges each carry their own visibility rule, and a student's photos and videos sit in storage folders that belong to that student alone.
- Sensitive fields are separated. A student's birthdate and their parent's name, email and phone number are stored apart from the public profile and are readable only by that student.
- Visibility is a single derived fact. A profile is visible only when it does not require parental authorisation, or when that authorisation has been given. One rule, checked on every read.
- No financial data is held. Campaigns store pledges — a stated intent, not a transaction — and funds are paid to the school.
Raise a concern
If you are a student, parent, teacher or official with a concern about a child's safety on ScholarOut, write to us and we will read it and act on it. Include a profile link where you can.
Email the safety teamIf a child is in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services first.
This page explains how ScholarOut works in plain language; it is not legal advice. Safety rules last updated October 2026. Back to ScholarOut