Welcome 

The National Autistic Society Online Community is a safe space where autistic people and their families can connect, share experiences, and support each other. By joining, you agree to follow these rules and terms of use. 

Comments made on the Online Community are those of individual users whose views may not be shared by the National Autistic Society. The content found in links to external websites, the views expressed by users or the products/services they recommend are also not endorsed by our charity.   

Section 1: Terms of Use 

Our Commitment 

• Protect users from illegal content and content harmful to children.
• Act swiftly to remove harmful or illegal material.
• Prioritise child safety.
• Provide transparency about moderation, complaints, and appeals.

Your Agreement 

By using this community, you agree that: 

• Moderators may edit or remove content and suspend accounts that break these rules.
• Serious or repeated breaches may result in permanent bans.
• You have the right to appeal moderation decisions.

Illegal and Harmful Content 

Illegal content is banned and will be removed immediately. This includes: 

• Terrorism content
• Child sexual exploitation and abuse content
• Encouraging or assisting suicide or serious self-harm
• Harassment, stalking, threats, hate offences
• Drugs, weapons, trafficking, fraud, financial crimes
• Harmful content to children is also banned. This includes:
• Primary Priority: Pornography, suicide/self-harm, eating disorders 
• Priority: Bullying, hate speech, violent content, dangerous challenges 
• Non-Designated: Body image stigma, harmful advice  

How We Moderate 

• Proactive tools: Keyword filters and automated flagging hide high-risk content until reviewed.
• Human review: Staff check flagged content regularly during office hours (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm).
• Safeguarding: Concerns are escalated within 24 hours to safeguarding teams and, if needed, to statutory authorities.

Complaints and Appeals 

If you believe content was wrongly removed or harmful content remains, you can submit a complaint or appeal. 

• We aim to acknowledge complaints within 2 working days and resolve them within 10 working days.
• Appeals are reviewed by staff with support from a safeguarding lead when required.

You also have the option share any complaints by going to Tell us what you think. Your feedback gives us an opportunity to review and improve all that we do. 

Section 2: Community Rules 

Rule 1: Community users must be over 18 
Only people aged 18 or over can join the Online Community. When registering, you will need to confirm you are 18 or older, as some discussion threads may include adult themes. 

Rule 2: No personal information or identifiable content 
As the Online Community is public, do not share personal or identifying details about yourself or anyone else. This includes full names, addresses, contact details, social media profiles, or identifiable photos. Links to social media posts or videos are allowed if relevant and in compliance with these rules. 

Rule 3: No illegal content 
Do not post or link to anything illegal or that promotes illegal activity.  

Rule 4: No harmful or offensive content 
Do not post or link to anything graphic, obscene, defamatory, impersonating someone else, or infringing copyright. 

Rule 5: Do not discriminate 
Do not post or link to anything offensive regarding protected characteristics under UK equality law (age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation). 

Rule 6: No medical or legal advice 
Do not offer medical or legal advice. Always seek professional help for these matters. 

Rule 7: Be respectful in discussions 
Disagreements are fine, but personal attacks, insults, and swearing are not. Respect other viewpoints and avoid escalating arguments. 

Rule 8: Do not use the National Autistic Society logo or ‘Mod’ title 
Only official moderators can use these identifiers. 

Rule 9: No multiple accounts 
Each user may only have one account. 

Rule 10: No duplicate posts 
Do not post the same message in multiple threads. 

Rule 11: No spam 
Spam includes advertisements, repetitive posts, harmful links, scams, or automated messages. 

Rule 12: No sales or advertisements 
Do not join the forum to sell products, services or to promote personal brands, social media accounts or similar platforms. Recommendations are allowed if you disclose any affiliation. 

Rule 13: No fundraisers 
Do not post fundraisers or crowdfunding links. 

Rule 14: No research requests 
Research requests should be directed to our Research Page. 

Rule 15: No media requests 
Media requests should be directed to press@nas.org.uk. 

Section 3: Moderator Actions 

Rule 1: Underage users 
The moderation team monitors content for signs that users may be under 18. If we identify an underage user, their account will be removed. 

Rule 2: Identifiable content 
Any content that includes personal or identifying details will be removed by the moderation team. If a user knowingly or maliciously shares identifiable content, their account will be banned immediately without warning. 

Rule 3: Illegal content 
Illegal content will be removed as soon as possible and serious violations will result in an immediate ban without notice. 

Rule 4: Harmful or offensive content 
Content that is considered harmful or offensive will be removed or edited by the moderation team. Two minor breaches will result in a ban. Serious violations will lead to an immediate ban without notice. 

Rule 5: Discrimination 
Content viewed to be in breach of this rule will be removed or edited. Users breaching this rule may have their account placed under pre-moderation. Repeat offenders will be banned.  

Rule 6: Medical or legal advice 
Posts offering medical or legal information will be removed if they attempt to direct another user's actions, influence a user's medical or legal decisions or are not clearly from personal experience. Users breaching this rule may have their account placed under pre-moderation. Repeat offenders will be banned. 

Rule 7: Disrespectful behaviour 
Moderators may lock threads if needed. Content in breach of this rule will be removed. Users breaching this rule may have their account placed under pre-moderation. Repeat offenders will be banned.  

Rule 8: Logo or ‘Mod’ misuse 
We will ask you to change your profile or we will reset it if this rule is breached.  

Rule 9: Multiple accounts 
Additional accounts registered to the same person will be removed.  

Rule 10: Duplicate posts 
Duplicate posts will be removed. Users breaching this rule may have their account placed under pre-moderation.  

Rule 11: Spam 
Posting spam will lead to an instant ban without notice. 

Rule 12: Sales or advertising 
Accounts that focus on selling products or services will have their posts edited and may be placed under pre-moderation. 

Rule 13: Fundraisers 
Posts that include fundraisers or links to crowdfunding platforms will be removed. Users breaching this rule may have their account placed under pre-moderation. 

Rule 14: Research requests 
Research requests will be removed. Users who repeatedly breach this rule may have their account placed under pre-moderation. 

Rule 15: Media requests 
Media requests posted in the community will be removed. Users who repeatedly breach this rule may have their account placed under pre-moderation. 

 

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