At Schoolhouse, trust and safety are at the heart of everything we do. As our community continues to grow, we want to make sure it remains a place where learners and tutors feel safe, respected, and confident in the people they’re working with. That’s why we’re introducing a new age verification process for all new users.
Why This Matters
Every learner who joins Schoolhouse deserves to know they’re in a space built with their safety in mind. Every tutor deserves to know that the learners they’re helping are who they say they are.
Age verification helps us uphold those standards and, more importantly, helps our community trust that they’re part of a platform that takes safety seriously.
This update also brings us in line with industry best practices for online education and helps ensure we’re meeting our legal and ethical responsibilities as a platform that serves minors.
What’s Changing
For Users Under 18
New users under 18 will go through a short visual age estimation process powered by Yoti, a leading provider of secure identity solutions.
This involves recording a brief live selfie so Yoti can estimate your age.
No images or biometric data are stored, and results are delivered in seconds.
If the age estimate is too close to 18 or outside of the age range you indicated on your account, we may ask for a different method of verification.
For Users 18 and Older
New users aged 18+ will complete a one-time identity verification step, also using Yoti.
This usually involves scanning a government-issued ID.
The process is fast, secure, and helps confirm that adults using the platform are verified.
If You Can’t Complete Age Verification
If you fail the age verification check or don’t have a document you can submit, please contact our Safety team directly at [email protected]. We’ll work with you to coordinate alternate verification steps.
What About Current Users?
If you're already part of the Schoolhouse community, there's nothing you need to do right now. Age verification is currently required only for new users. We’ll continue evaluating how and when to expand this process as we build out our safety systems.
Your Privacy, Protected
We’ve chosen Yoti because of their strong commitment to user privacy.
No facial recognition data or personal photos are stored for users under 18.
For identity verification, data is encrypted and handled securely by Yoti, not stored by Schoolhouse.
We only receive confirmation that a user has been verified, nothing more.
Building a Safer, More Trusted Community
This change is a meaningful step toward making Schoolhouse a safer place to learn, teach, and grow. We know how much our users value this community, and we’re committed to strengthening that trust with every update we make.