These are the four basic principles of our community guidelines, written by our community:
If you’re here for the first time, make sure you check out the full guidelines below. Breaking the guidelines may result in an enforced break from using our services.
The Discussion Boards are a moderated, inclusive place to ask for advice or talk about anything that's on your mind. As well as Discussion Boards, we also run Support Groups Mondays-Thursdays, and there’s also lots of supportive content on our social media channels (Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, & Facebook).
We are mainly made up of 13-25 year olds. If you're under 13 or older than 25, we might suggest you use a more appropriate support service like Childline (for under 19's) or Mind’s online community (for adults).
Our community gives you spaces to connect with others who may be going through similar experiences. When using the community, try your best to support other Mixers and work as a group. When everyone is supporting each other, it can make a big difference to someone's day.
A mixture of staff and moderators look after the community to ensure it remains safe and that everyone is following the community guidelines. If you see a Mixer share something that doesn't follow the community guidelines, report the post and then step back from the situation.
When using Support Groups, try to stay in on one room at a time. Joining multiple groups can cause confusion for everyone because you may miss messages. To leave the group you're in, click the three dots in the top right corner of your screen and select 'close'.
The community is moderated by a mixture of staff and volunteers between 9.30am - 5.30pm (and for Support Groups, from 8pm-9.30pm). Their role is to keep the community safe and welcoming for everyone.
Our DMs are not always monitored, so if you need urgent support please call 999 or find your nearest A&E or contact a crisis service such as our Crisis Messenger, Samaritans, or Papyrus.
Suicidal thoughts
You can share that you’re experiencing suicidal thoughts generally, but please avoid sharing details that could cause the community to worry for your safety (e.g. that you've written a suicide note or made a specific plan).
If you have a plan to end your life or feel unsafe right now, the community isn’t set up to support you. If you need crisis support, the moderator will suggest contacting specialist crisis services such as our Crisis Messenger, Samaritans, or Papyrus.
If you share details about a plan to end your life, your post will be hidden and The Mix may contact emergency services to keep you safe. You can read more about when we might contact emergency services in our confidentiality policy.
When discussing suicidal thoughts or past experiences, we ask you to avoid sharing methods (such as how you tried to end your life) as these details can be triggering for others to read. If mentioned, these details will be hidden from your post.
Self-harm
When discussing self-harm, it’s best to stick to the general term ‘self-harm’. More specific language (e.g. where or how you’ve harmed yourself) can lead to other members feeling triggered. If mentioned, these details will be hidden from your post.
Pictures that show healed self-harm injuries are okay to share if the healed injuries aren't the focus of the picture. For example, sharing a photo of your outfit where scars are visible is within our guidelines.
Eating behaviours
When discussing eating behaviours, it’s okay to say you overeat or restrict, or to share a formal diagnosis. Please avoid discussing specific details, such as:
- Methods of purging
- Methods of reducing appetite
- How much or what you've consumed
- Calories and nutritional info
- Body measurements
- Detailed accounts of exercise
Substances
If you would like to discuss drugs or medication, please avoid sharing dosages. This is to make sure people don’t self-medicate based on advice from the community.
If you've overdosed and you’re worried for your safety, call 999 or visit your closest A&E. If you share that you’ve recently overdosed, The Mix may contact emergency services to keep you safe. You can read more about when we might contact emergency services in our confidentiality policy.
The general rule is 'what's said on The Mix stays on The Mix’. It’s important to respect the community’s confidentiality and not repeat what other Mixers share outside of this space.
If we believe your life is at immediate risk, we may widen your circle of confidentiality to include the emergency services. We will tell you if we decide to do this. If we contact emergency services for you, you may also be temporarily removed from the community. There are a few reasons for this:
- To ensure you’re getting the best support for your situation
- We’re not trained to support you in crisis
- Other Mixers may feel pressured to keep you safe
You can read more about this in our confidentiality policy.
Anonymity
Everyone has the right to anonymity when using The Mix. If a Mixer has decided to be anonymous, please be respectful of their decision and protect their privacy.
Multiple accounts are not permitted unless the staff team have given you permission. If you would like a second account to post things you don't want to share on your main account, please contact us using the information in the 'How to contact the staff team' tab.
Being safe online
Whether or not you want to be completely anonymous, keep in mind The Mix community is an anonymous space that anyone can join. That means understanding and practising online safety is very important. Be careful not to share personal or contact details such as (but not limited to):
- Your full name
- Physical address
- Email address
- Phone number
- Discord name or server invites
- Other social media handles
It’s okay to share photos of yourself or your pets, but it’s important not to share photos of anyone else. Once you post something online, there's no way to stop someone saving it, so be careful about what you share. If you’re interacting with The Mix on social media, a good general rule is to keep your profile private, avoid sharing personal information and anything that could identify you.
If you see anything worrying or unsafe, please report this on the social media platform you are using (read more about how to do this on Intagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook & YouTube).
The Mix Community is a safe space for people from all backgrounds and all walks of life. We’re here for everyone and this can be your safe space too.
Please respect the different ways other Mixers choose to identify and try to use the correct pronouns when referring to them (top tip: you can find pronouns on profile pages).
Hate speech, discrimination, personal attacks or harassment of any kind are not permitted.
