Content Policy

Last Updated: November 6, 2025

Our Mission

NextJS Lessons is a platform for creating and sharing high-quality educational content. We are committed to maintaining a safe, inclusive learning environment that meets or exceeds the content standards required in U.S. public K-12 schools.

This Content Policy outlines what content is permitted, what is prohibited, and how we enforce these standards to protect students, educators, and families.

1. School-Based Content Standards

1.1 Why School Standards?

U.S. public schools have decades of established guidelines for age-appropriate, educationally sound content. These standards balance educational freedom with student safety and have been tested through extensive legal review.

By adopting school-based standards, we ensure:

  • Content is age-appropriate and educationally sound
  • Legal compliance with COPPA, FERPA, and state education laws
  • Protection from liability for inappropriate content
  • Trust from parents, teachers, and administrators
  • Alignment with established educational practices

1.2 Applicable Standards

Content must comply with:

  • Federal Laws: COPPA (children's privacy), FERPA (education records), Title IX (discrimination)
  • State Education Standards: Common Core, state-specific curriculum frameworks
  • Age Appropriateness: Grade-level developmental guidelines
  • Academic Integrity: Factual accuracy, cited sources, intellectual honesty

2. Prohibited Content Categories

The following content types are strictly prohibited and will result in immediate removal and potential account suspension:

2.1 Occult and Dangerous Spiritual Practices

PROHIBITED:

  • Witchcraft instruction or spell-casting tutorials
  • Demonology, satanism, demon worship practices
  • Occult rituals, dark magic, or spiritual summoning
  • Promotion of practices prohibited in public schools

PERMITTED:

  • Academic study of world religions (comparative religion)
  • Historical analysis of religious movements
  • Literary analysis of religious texts
  • Cultural context of religious practices

Legal Clarification: While some occult practices may claim religious protection, public schools prohibit instruction in these practices for minors. Our platform follows school standards to protect children and limit legal liability.

2.2 Illegal Discrimination

PROHIBITED:

  • Content promoting violence or illegal discrimination based on protected characteristics
  • Supremacy ideologies advocating violence or illegal discrimination
  • Dehumanizing language, slurs, or harassment targeting individuals
  • Holocaust denial or genocide minimization

EDUCATIONAL PERSPECTIVES WELCOMED:

Parents have the right to choose their family's values and educational approach. Diverse viewpoints are supported:

  • Traditional/Religious: Biblical marriage, traditional family structures, faith-based values
  • Progressive: Inclusive family models, social justice themes, diverse identities
  • Classical: Great Books, Western canon, virtue ethics, character development
  • Secular: Evidence-based, scientific method, academic standards

Content is labeled by perspective. Parents filter to their values. Platform remains neutral.

2.3 Sexual Content and Exploitation

PROHIBITED:

  • Sexually explicit material, pornography, or erotica
  • Sexual content inappropriate for minors
  • Sexualization of children or minors
  • Grooming behaviors or predatory content

Age-appropriate sex education following school-approved curricula is permitted for appropriate grade levels with proper content warnings.

2.4 Violence and Graphic Content

PROHIBITED:

  • Graphic violence, gore, or torture imagery
  • Glorification of violence or mass shootings
  • Terrorist propaganda or recruitment materials
  • Self-harm instruction or promotion
  • Animal cruelty or abuse

Historical lessons about war, conflict, or violence are permitted when presented educationally without graphic imagery.

2.5 Illegal Activities and Dangerous Behavior

PROHIBITED:

  • Instructions for illegal activities
  • Drug use promotion or manufacturing instructions
  • Weapon-making tutorials (bombs, firearms modifications)
  • Dangerous challenges or stunts
  • Hacking, fraud, or cybercrime tutorials

2.6 Academic Honesty and Educational Standards

PROHIBITED:

  • Plagiarized content or copyright violations
  • Academically dishonest claims (fabricated sources, fake citations)
  • Health misinformation that could cause immediate harm (bleach cures, dangerous remedies)

PERMITTED (Diverse Educational Approaches):

  • Creation Science: Biblical creation account, intelligent design, young earth perspectives
  • Evolution Science: Natural selection, common descent, old earth perspectives
  • Health Perspectives: Natural medicine, alternative therapies, vaccine hesitancy discussions, conventional medicine
  • Historical Perspectives: Patriotic American history, critical examinations, multicultural viewpoints
  • Critical Thinking: Examining controversial topics, multiple viewpoints, primary source analysis

Platform Policy: Parents decide what their children learn. We support creation science, evolution, vaccine-choice discussions, and diverse historical perspectives. Content is labeled by viewpoint; parents filter accordingly.

2.7 Privacy Violations

PROHIBITED:

  • Sharing student personal information without consent
  • Publishing full names, addresses, or contact information of minors
  • Doxxing or harassment through information sharing
  • COPPA violations (collecting data from children under 13)

2.8 Copyright Violations and Media Licensing

PROHIBITED:

  • Copyrighted media without proper licensing (videos, images, audio)
  • Media with "personal use only" or "non-commercial" restrictions on Marketplace lessons
  • Embedding content that violates third-party Terms of Service
  • Using trademarked material without permission
  • Plagiarized text or content from other educational platforms

REQUIRED FOR ALL LESSONS:

  • Personal Use Lessons: Media must be copyright-free, Creative Commons, or properly licensed for educational use
  • Marketplace Lessons: Media must additionally allow commercial use (cannot have "non-commercial" restrictions)
  • Acceptable Sources: Public domain, CC0, CC-BY, CC-BY-SA licenses; YouTube embeds allowed per YouTube ToS; educational fair use where applicable
  • Creator Responsibility: You are legally responsible for verifying media licensing and copyright compliance

RECOMMENDED MEDIA SOURCES:

  • Images: Unsplash, Pexels, Pixabay (check individual licenses), Wikimedia Commons (public domain), NASA images
  • Videos: YouTube (educational content with embedding allowed), Khan Academy, TED-Ed, public domain archives
  • Audio: Free Music Archive, YouTube Audio Library, public domain recordings
  • Always verify: Current license terms before embedding, as licenses can change

3. Content Moderation Process

3.1 Automated AI Detection

All content undergoes automated analysis using our AI systems after creation. The AI detects:

  • Harm Level: none, low, medium, high, severe
  • Content Violations: Specific prohibited categories
  • Safety for Children: COPPA compliance assessment
  • Educational Themes: Perspective labeling for parent filtering

3.2 Severity-Based Actions

None/Low Harm:

Content approved automatically, available for all uses

Medium Harm:

Content flagged with warnings, creator notified, personal use only

High Harm:

Content requires manual review before Global/Marketplace publication

Severe Harm:

Content auto-blocked, made private, flagged for admin review, possible account suspension

3.3 Human Review

Admin reviewers manually examine:

  • All severe harm flagged content
  • High harm content before public/marketplace approval
  • User-reported content
  • Appeals from content removal
  • Edge cases and AI false positives

3.4 Approval Queue

Before content can be published to Global Lessons or Marketplace, it must:

  • Pass automated AI safety checks
  • Have harm_level of "none" or "low"
  • Be marked safe_for_children = true
  • Receive admin approval (for high-risk categories)

4. Educational Perspectives and Filtering

We recognize that families have diverse educational philosophies. Our platform supports multiple perspectives:

Secular

Science-based, academic consensus, cited sources

Christian

Biblical principles, faith-based reasoning, Christian worldview

Progressive

Social justice, equity focus, diverse perspectives

Classical

Great Books, Socratic method, Western canon

Important: While we support diverse educational approaches, ALL perspectives must comply with school safety standards. A Christian homeschool lesson and a progressive public school lesson both must avoid prohibited content categories.

5. Reporting Inappropriate Content

Users can report content that violates this policy:

  • Click "Report" button on any lesson
  • Select violation category and provide details
  • Reports reviewed within 24-48 hours
  • Action taken and reporter notified of outcome

For urgent safety concerns, email: moderation@nextjslessons.com

6. Enforcement and Penalties

6.1 Warning System

  • First Violation: Content removed, warning issued, account remains active
  • Second Violation: Content removed, 7-day marketplace suspension
  • Third Violation: 30-day account suspension, all public content removed
  • Severe Violations: Immediate permanent ban, law enforcement notification if applicable

6.2 Permanent Bans

Immediate permanent ban for:

  • Child exploitation or endangerment
  • Terrorist content or violent extremism
  • Repeated severe violations after warnings
  • Circumventing moderation systems
  • Impersonation or fraud

6.3 Marketplace Penalties

  • Violation content removed from marketplace
  • Earnings from violating content withheld
  • Marketplace privileges suspended for repeated violations
  • Permanent marketplace ban for severe violations

7. Appeals Process

If you believe content was removed in error:

  1. Email appeals@nextjslessons.com within 30 days
  2. Include: lesson ID, explanation, why it complies with policy
  3. Appeals reviewed by different admin within 5 business days
  4. Decision final (no multiple appeals for same content)

Note: Severe violations (child safety, illegal content) are not eligible for appeal.

8. Creator Responsibilities

As a content creator, you are responsible for:

  • Reviewing AI Output: AI-generated content must be reviewed for accuracy and appropriateness
  • Fact-Checking: Verify all factual claims and cite sources
  • Age Appropriateness: Ensure content matches declared grade level
  • Copyright Compliance: Use only licensed or original content
  • Honest Labeling: Accurately declare educational perspective
  • Student Safety: Never include student personal information
  • Professional Conduct: Maintain educational standards and ethics

9. Policy Updates

This Content Policy may be updated to reflect:

  • Changes in education standards or laws
  • Emerging safety concerns or content types
  • Community feedback and platform evolution
  • Legal requirements or court decisions

Material changes will be announced via email and platform notifications.

10. Contact

  • Policy Questions: policy@nextjslessons.com
  • Content Reports: moderation@nextjslessons.com
  • Appeals: appeals@nextjslessons.com
  • Safety Concerns: safety@nextjslessons.com

This Content Policy works together with our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy to maintain a safe, high-quality educational platform.