Community Guidelines.
Dating Lab is a place to meet people. That means it has to be a place that feels safe, respectful, and worth showing up to. These are the rules that make that possible. We enforce them.
Contents
The promise.
Dating Lab is built for adults who want to meet other adults with intent. That means everyone here is verified to be a real person, of legal age, with a profile that represents them honestly. It means every conversation starts from a place of mutual respect. It means the people you meet here will be the people their profile says they are.
These guidelines aren't aspirational. They are enforced. We are not negotiating about this.
Be real.
Verified humans only. Your profile, your photos, your age. No catfishing, no impersonation, no bots.
Be respectful.
The person on the other side is a person. Disagreement is fine. Cruelty, harassment, and hate are not.
Be safe.
Meet in public, trust your instincts, never send money. Use the in-app tools to report and block.
Be real.
Your profile must represent you. The photos must be of you, taken in the last two years, with your face clearly visible in the main photo. Your age must be your actual age. Your gender must be your actual gender (or how you genuinely identify). Your location must be roughly where you actually live.
Verification is the badge of authenticity on Dating Lab. The 60-second selfie check via Persona is mandatory before you can send Crafted Broadcasts and strongly encouraged for everyone else. Most active users are verified within a week of signing up.
If you're using a different name than your government ID (a chosen name, a nickname, a stage name), that's fine. But the person in your photos must be the person who shows up to the date.
Be respectful.
The other person reading your profile is a real human, and so are you. We expect both sides to behave accordingly. That means treating disagreement as disagreement, not war. It means accepting a "no" gracefully. It means understanding that not every conversation will turn into a date, and that's OK.
Harassment, threats, and hate are zero-tolerance. We don't care if you were "just joking". We don't care if you "meant it as a compliment". We don't care if the other person started it. If your conduct in a conversation rises to the level of harassment, you will be removed from the Lab.
Specifically prohibited: hate speech based on race, religion, sexuality, gender identity, disability, or national origin. Threats of violence. Doxxing or sharing someone's personal information without consent. Continuing to contact someone after they have blocked or unmatched you.
Be safe.
Most of what makes online dating safe is common sense, but we will say it anyway.
When you meet someone in person for the first time, meet in a public place. Tell a friend where you're going. Make your own way there and home. Trust your instincts; if something feels off, leave. Use the in-app block and report if needed.
Never send money to anyone you have met on Dating Lab. Not a deposit. Not for an emergency. Not for a flight. Not for a video chat. Not for "tax". Romance scams are the most common safety incident on dating apps; we have all the patterns documented and the moment you mention financial assistance, our systems flag it.
Be cautious with personal information. You don't need to share your full name, your home address, your workplace, or your financial details with someone you've just matched with. There is no rush.
Use the in-app Block and Report. Email safety@datinglab.com. In an immediate emergency, contact local emergency services (999 in the UK, 911 in the US). We will cooperate with law enforcement where legally required.
What's not OK.
Below is the list of behaviours that get accounts removed from Dating Lab. The severity tag shows the typical response. Severe single incidents always result in permanent bans regardless of category.
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Ban
Sexual content involving anyone under 18 Zero tolerance. Reported to law enforcement and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children where applicable.
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Ban
Threats of violence, doxxing, stalking Permanent removal and law enforcement referral.
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Ban
Catfishing or identity fraud Using someone else's photos or pretending to be someone you're not. Verified profiles cannot do this.
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Ban
Financial scams and solicitation Requesting money, gift cards, crypto, or financial assistance. Promoting investment opportunities.
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Suspend
Unsolicited explicit photos or sexual messages If the other person has not invited it. First report is a strong warning; second is suspension; third is permanent.
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Suspend
Harassment, repeated unwanted contact, hate speech Including contact after a block or an unmatch, and slurs targeting protected groups.
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Suspend
Commercial use of Dating Lab Including escort or sex work promotion, OnlyFans linking, multi-level marketing, recruitment for non-dating purposes.
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Suspend
Sharing other users' content without consent Screenshotting and sharing profiles or messages outside Dating Lab without the other person's permission.
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Warn
Recent or inaccurate photos Photos older than two years, photos that materially misrepresent you, photos that obscure your face in the main slot.
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Warn
Inappropriate prompts or About content Profanity, slurs, sexual references, or content that violates the spirit of these guidelines.
How we enforce.
We use a combination of automated systems and human review. Every photo uploaded passes through Hive.ai before going live. Messages are scanned by a lightweight classifier for harassment patterns, scam language, and other red flags. Reports from users are reviewed by our in-house safety team, in London, not outsourced.
When a report is filed, we investigate the specific report, the surrounding context (recent messages, profile content, account history), and the reporting user's record. Outcomes are one of: dismissed (no violation found), warned (formal warning recorded), restricted (specific features suspended), suspended (temporary account suspension), or banned (permanent removal).
Three upheld reports within a 30-day window automatically triggers a temporary suspension. Severe single incidents bypass the three-strike threshold and result in immediate permanent removal.
How to report.
Reporting takes about 15 seconds and we read every report. You can report a profile, a message, or a photo.
Open the profile or message
Tap the overflow menu (the three dots in the top right of any profile or thread).
Tap Report
Select the closest reason from the list. Add detail if you can; it helps the review.
We review
Median review time is under 4 hours. Severe reports are reviewed faster. You can also block the user from the same screen.
Reports are confidential. The reported user is never told who filed the report. We aggregate report patterns over time to catch repeat offenders.
You can also email safety@datinglab.com for any safety concern that doesn't fit the in-app categories, or for urgent matters that need attention outside of the in-app review queue.
Appeals.
If your account has been suspended or banned and you believe the decision was wrong, you can appeal. Email appeals@datinglab.com from the email associated with your account, explaining what you think we got wrong. Include any context or evidence that wasn't visible in the original report.
A different reviewer (not the one who made the original decision) will review your appeal. Median appeal review time is 48 hours. You will receive a reasoned response. Bans for the most severe categories (sexual content involving minors, threats of violence, doxxing) are not appealable.
Contact.
For safety reports outside the app: safety@datinglab.com
For appeals: appeals@datinglab.com
For general support: support@datinglab.com
The safety team is based in London. We are real people, and we read every email. You will receive a response within one working day for non-urgent matters, faster for urgent ones.
We built Dating Lab because we believed the category needed a place where the rules above could be taken seriously. These guidelines are how we keep that promise. Thank you for reading them. Thank you, in advance, for following them.