House rules

Terms and Conditions

Last updated: 5 April 2026. These terms explain the rules for using SharpenMind and how we keep conversation respectful across different beliefs.

Using SharpenMind

  • By using the site or creating an account you agree to these rules.
  • You need a valid email address to register, and you are responsible for activity on your account.
  • You must be 16 or older to publish essays, topics, replies, or comments.

Respectful discussion

  • Disagree with ideas freely, but always aim your criticism at the idea, not the person.
  • Harassment, insults, and hate speech are not welcome here.
  • Assume good faith and ask questions before you assume the worst about someone.

Your contributions and responsibility

  • You keep ownership of the essays, topics, replies, and comments you publish.
  • You are responsible for the opinions you publish, and for making sure the work is your own.
  • Do not share private information about other people without their permission.

Prohibited content

  • No harassment, threats, hate speech, or content that targets people for who they are.
  • No spam, advertising, scams, or repeated off-topic posting.
  • No plagiarism, copyright infringement, or illegally obtained material.
  • No sexually explicit content, and no content that endangers anyone.

Moderation

  • Moderators review reports and may hide any comment, topic, or reply that breaks these rules.
  • We may send a warning, remove a contribution, or ask you to edit it.
  • Moderation protects the conversation — it is never used to silence honest disagreement.

Reporting inappropriate posts

  • Use the Report button on any comment, topic, or reply to flag it for review.
  • Reports are private — no one you report learns who flagged the content.
  • Include a short reason so a moderator can act quickly and fairly.

Account termination

  • You can leave at any time and ask us to delete your account and contributions.
  • We may suspend or close an account that seriously or repeatedly breaks these rules.
  • Where we can, we will explain the reason so you have a chance to respond.

Disclaimer and changes

  • SharpenMind hosts the opinions of its members; these are not the views of the site.
  • The site is provided as-is, and we cannot promise it will always be free of errors.
  • We may update these terms, and will change the date below if we do.

Questions about these terms?

If anything here is unclear, or you believe a moderation decision was unfair, reach out through the data request form on our Privacy Policy page and we will reply by email.

Contact us