Terms of Use

Last updated Oct 20, 2026.

These Terms of Use (“Terms”) are the rules for using NoWhereElse (nowhereelse.org). NoWhereElse is a program of Indigo Unlimited, a Washington 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 99-3699154). “We” and “us” means Indigo Unlimited. By using the site or making an account, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy and Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy.

1. Who can use NoWhereElse

Anyone can read the site without an account. Accounts are for people 13 and older. When you sign up, you tell us whether you are 13 to 17 or 18 and older. We don’t check IDs, so we trust you to answer honestly. We use your age group to keep teens and adults apart. If you are under 13, please don’t make an account. You can still read the site, talk to a trusted adult, or call Childhelp at 1-800-422-4453.

2. Not therapy, not an emergency service

NoWhereElse gives information and peer support. It is not medical, mental health, or legal advice, and it doesn’t replace a doctor, therapist, or lawyer. Nobody watches the site in real time, and replies (when messaging opens) can take days.

If you need help now: call 911 in an emergency. Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline). Text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line). See Help now for more lines.

3. Community rules

These rules apply to anything you post or write to others on NoWhereElse, including stories (open now) and the friends feed and comments (when those open). They match the rules our moderators and partners follow.

• No contact info. Don’t post phone numbers, emails, addresses, links, social media handles, or other apps (like Snapchat or Discord). Posts that include them are stopped.
• Protect privacy. Don’t share your real name, school, or town, or anyone else’s. Don’t screenshot or share other people’s posts.
• Be kind. People here are going through hard things. Support, don’t judge.
• No harassment. No bullying, threats, hate, or put-downs, including about race, religion, gender, sexuality, disability, or where someone is from. LGBTQ+ teens are welcome here.
• No meeting up or private contact. Don’t try to find, meet, or message someone off NoWhereElse. There are no private messages between members.
• Friends only with codes. Only share your one-time friend code with people you know and trust in real life. Teens (13–17) can only connect with teens.
• Nothing harmful. No sexual content, no encouraging self-harm, suicide, drug use, or violence, no spam or selling, and no pretending to be someone else.
• One person, one account. Keep your password private.

4. Moderation and removal

A trained moderator reads every post and comment before others can see it. Moderators may edit out identifying details, decline, or remove anything that breaks these rules or could put someone at risk. We may pause or close an account, or turn off its feed access, if it breaks these rules. You can report or block anyone, and they aren’t told who reported them. Community posting, the friends feed and help messages are switched off right now and will open only when trained moderators are in place.

5. If someone may be in danger

We want you to know this up front. In Washington, some adults who work with children, like teachers, counselors, doctors, nurses and social workers, are “mandatory reporters” under the law (RCW 26.44.030). If a mandatory reporter who helps run NoWhereElse sees something that makes them believe a child is being abused or neglected, they may have to report it to Washington’s child protection agency (DCYF) or the police. If someone seems to be in immediate danger, we may contact emergency services.

Most of NoWhereElse is anonymous. We don’t ask for your name, school, or address, so in many cases we couldn’t identify you even if we wanted to. Nobody at NoWhereElse reads private journals. But anything you post or send to staff or moderators could be acted on if it shows that someone is in danger. Our goal is always your safety.

6. Your content

You own what you write. By posting or saving it here, you give us permission to store it, show it to you (and to your friends or the public only if you post it that way), and moderate it, only to run NoWhereElse. We don’t sell your content or use it for ads. If a moderator edits a story to remove identifying details, we may publish that edited version once you’ve submitted it as a story. This permission ends when you delete the content or your account, except where we have to keep something by law.

7. Deleting your account

You can delete your account anytime in Settings. This permanently erases your account and everything tied to it. It can’t be undone. You can also stop using the site at any time.

8. No guarantees

We work hard to keep information accurate and the site running, but NoWhereElse is provided “as is” and “as available.” To the extent the law allows, we don’t promise it will always be available, error-free, or right for your situation. Hotlines and organizations we list are run by others, and we don’t control them.

9. Limits on our responsibility

To the fullest extent allowed by law, Indigo Unlimited and its volunteers, staff, and partners are not responsible for indirect or consequential harm that comes from using or not being able to use NoWhereElse. Nothing in these Terms limits any rights you have that the law doesn’t allow us to limit.

10. Washington law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Washington, USA.

11. Changes

We may update these Terms. We’ll change the “Last updated” date above, and for big changes we’ll show a notice on the site. If you keep using NoWhereElse after a change, the new Terms apply.

12. Contact

Questions? Email Indigo Unlimited at [email protected]. Please don’t include your real name or anything that identifies you unless you want to.

Privacy Policy · Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy · Disclaimer