Online Safety

U Up is for adults only

U Up is a platform for adults aged 18 and over. Nobody under 18 may create an account, hold a listing, or make a booking.

This is not a preference or a house rule. It is a legal requirement under Australian law, and we check it rather than asking people to tick a box.

If you are under 18, this platform is not for you, and you must not attempt to access it.

How we check age

U Up uses two different checks, because providers and clients are in different positions.

Providers

A provider verifies their identity with a government-issued photo ID and a liveness match before a listing can go live, and is re-checked every 30 days.

Clients

A client confirms their age before being shown any age-restricted material. The check estimates age from a facial scan, with a document check available as a fallback if the estimate is inconclusive.

What U Up is told

Both checks are carried out by Persona, an independent specialist verification provider, not by U Up. We are told only whether the person is over 18, by what method, and when.

We never receive or store an identity document, a facial scan, or a date of birth from either check. We could not disclose those things if we were asked to, because we do not hold them.

What is behind the age check

U Up is deliberately built in two layers.

Anyone may see

• A provider's working name.
• One non-explicit photograph.
• Suburb and age.
• Rates and availability.

Only after an age check

• The full photo gallery.
• The list of services a provider offers.
• The provider's written profile.
• Making a booking.

Age-restricted material is not shown to anyone who has not passed an age check. The split is enforced on our servers rather than in your browser, and applied a second time and independently when an image is requested, so restricted material is not sent at all to a viewer who has not been age-assured. The gate fails closed: any error, timeout or unavailable verification provider leaves it shut.

Nothing on this page is age-restricted, which is why you can read it without signing in.

Our content rules

U Up publishes a full set of Content Standards setting out what may and may not appear on the platform, where each kind of material is shown, and what happens when a rule is broken.

Some rules are absolute and apply everywhere, regardless of any age check. Material depicting a person under 18, non-consensual imagery, content depicting coercion or trafficking, and material promoting self-harm are prohibited outright, removed on sight, and reported to the authorities where the law requires it.

Every listing photograph and every written profile is reviewed by a person before it appears.

• Read the full Content Standards.

Reporting something

Anyone may report content they believe breaks our rules, whether or not they hold an account and whether or not they are signed in.

Report by email to [email protected]. Put URGENT in the subject line if the matter is serious.

Every report is looked at by a person. Anything suggesting a person under 18 is acted on immediately, before any investigation.

• Read the full Complaints and Reporting Process.

The eSafety Commissioner

The eSafety Commissioner is Australia's independent online safety regulator. It oversees the codes that govern how services handle material that is not suitable for children, including the Age-Restricted Material Code that applies to U Up.

You can complain to the Commissioner about U Up directly, at any time. You do not need our permission, and you do not need to raise the matter with us first.

• esafety.gov.au

On request, U Up provides the Commissioner with its assigned risk profile and the reasons for it. Where the Commissioner writes to U Up, we answer promptly.

Information for parents and carers

If you are concerned that a young person has reached this platform, the most effective controls sit on the device and the network rather than on any single website.

• Family Safety and Screen Time settings on iOS and Android restrict which apps and sites a device can open.
• Most home broadband providers offer network-level content filtering that covers every device in the house.
• The eSafety Commissioner publishes practical guidance for parents at esafety.gov.au.

If you believe a person under 18 holds an account on U Up, tell us at [email protected]. We act on that immediately.

If you need help

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 000.

• Lifeline - 13 11 14, crisis support and suicide prevention, 24 hours.
• 1800RESPECT - 1800 737 732, national sexual assault and family violence counselling, 24 hours.
• Kids Helpline - 1800 55 1800, free counselling for young people aged 5 to 25, 24 hours.
• Beyond Blue - 1300 22 4636, mental health support, 24 hours.

Contact us

For anything on this page, including reporting content, raising a concern about a person under 18, or asking about U Up's compliance with the Age-Restricted Material Code, contact our safety team.