Community Guidelines
Paints brings strangers into the same room — over wine, in a museum, on a market walk, around a chess board — and helps them connect. These guidelines describe what we expect of every member, on and off the app. Following them keeps Paints safe, respectful, and genuinely social.
We use a combination of automated systems, human moderation, and reports from members to keep the community healthy. Breaches of these guidelines may lead to warnings, account restrictions, suspension, or in serious cases involvement of law enforcement. Report any concern at safety@paints.app or through the in-app Report feature on a member or event detail screen.
1. Profile guidelines
Age. You must be 18 or older to join Paints. We may request photo ID to verify your age.
Name. Use your legal first name. We may request photo ID to verify your identity.
Profile photo. Upload a clear, unfiltered photo of yourself that shows your face. No memes, symbols, group shots, or heavily filtered images.
Email and phone. Confirm a working email address and phone number we can reach you on.
One account per person. Multiple profiles are not allowed.
2. Conduct and content
Each rule below comes with a single example of what is not acceptable.
Harassment, bullying, and abuse. No insults, intimidation, threats, or emotional manipulation directed at other members, hosts, venue staff, or Paints staff.
Example: Repeatedly making fun of another member's appearance or background during a dinner.
Sexual harassment. No unwelcome sexual remarks, unsolicited explicit messages or images, threats to share intimate images, or objectifying behaviour.
Example: Sending another member sexual content through Paints Connect after meeting them once at an event.
Sexual misconduct and violence. No threats, promotion, or commission of physical or sexual violence at or after a Paints experience. We will act on credible reports and on legal documentation of past misconduct, including domestic violence restraining orders.
Example: Threatening another attendee on the way home from an event.
Nudity and sexual content. No explicit, vulgar, or sexual content in profiles, messages, or at events. No soliciting or offering sexual services.
Example: Adding an explicit image to a profile or showing explicit material to a tablemate.
Child exploitation. No content, behaviour, or activity that sexualises or endangers anyone under 18. See our separate Child Safety Standards Policy for detail and reporting routes.
Hate speech. No dehumanising language directed at race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or age. Disagreement and debate are welcome; degradation is not.
Example: Making derogatory remarks about a protected group during conversation.
Violent content. No graphic depictions of injury, weapons, or cruelty in profiles, messages, or at events.
Example: Showing graphic injury photos at a Paints supper.
Dangerous organisations. No association with, recruitment for, or promotion of violent, extremist, or terrorist groups.
Impersonation. No fake profiles. No impersonating another person, including other Paints members or public figures.
Misinformation. No spreading of demonstrably false information that risks harm, including conspiracy material about other members, venues, or events.
Spam. No bulk unwanted messages, misleading links, or multiple profiles created to disrupt other members.
Commercial activity. Paints is a community, not a marketplace. No selling, promoting, or soliciting goods or services to other members at Paints events or through Paints Connect without our prior written permission.
Example: Pitching another attendee on an investment scheme during a Paints walk.
Controlled substances. No offering, selling, or distributing illegal drugs or misusing legal substances at Paints events.
Scams and fraud. No deceptive financial activity, romance scams, investment fraud, or attempts to extract money or personal financial information from members.
Example: Asking a member you met at a Paints event to send money for an emergency.
Self-harm and eating disorders. Members may share personal experiences sensitively, but glorifying or promoting self-harm or disordered eating is not allowed. If you are in crisis, please reach out to your local crisis service. In the UK, the Samaritans can be reached on 116 123.
3. Attendance
Show up or cancel in time. Your reservation is a commitment to the venue, your group, and Paints. Cancel within the window shown in the app if you can't make it.
No-shows have consequences. Persistent no-shows or late cancellations may result in suspension or a no-show fee. See the Cancellation, No-shows, and +1s section in our Terms for detail.
+1 rules vary by format. Some Paints formats allow a +1 — including museum trails, gallery openings, and larger cultural socials. Smaller intimate formats — supper clubs, vinyl listening sessions, show-and-tell dinners — do not allow +1s. The app will tell you which rule applies to each event. Bringing an unannounced guest may result in suspension.
No double-booking. Don't book the same restaurant or event through Paints and another service to game promotions or seats.
Connect at your own pace. When you meet someone you click with at a Paints event, you can use Paints Connect to stay in touch. Exchanging personal contact details is your choice; please do so safely.
4. Inactive accounts
Accounts inactive for 24 months will be deleted. We will send a reactivation email before deletion and you can re-create an account at any time.
5. Reporting
Report concerns about a member, host, venue, or Paints experience to safety@paints.app or through the in-app Report feature. Reports are confidential. We review every report.
6. Enforcement
Depending on severity, breaches may result in a warning, content removal, suspension, or permanent account removal. Paints reserves the right to suspend or remove an account where we reasonably believe it presents a risk to other members, partners, or the Service. Appeals can be sent to safety@paints.app; we are not obliged to grant appeals in every case.