1. Our purpose
Cuppa is a social network and social movement bringing good humans together for genuine, generous and curious connection. HUMAN means Hope, Understanding, Meaning, Action and Nurture. We put people before transactions and curiosity before judgement.
You do not have to be an expert to belong. People starting out, changing direction or simply exploring are welcome. Connection is an invitation, never an obligation.
This Code applies to participants, guests, hosts and contributors in Cuppa conversations, online spaces, events and gatherings. It also applies to related messages and off-platform contact arising from the community. It does not govern unrelated private lives. Participation is for adults aged 18 and over.
2. Treat people with respect
Be considerate, listen without making assumptions and make room for experiences different from your own. Disagreement and good-faith feedback are welcome. Humiliation, intimidation and personal attacks are not.
Do not discriminate, bully, threaten or harass. Racism, hate speech and degrading treatment have no place here. Respect people across race, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identity, culture, language, religion, disability, neurodivergence, sex, gender identity or expression, sexuality, age, health, appearance, caring responsibilities and financial circumstances.
3. Respect choice and personal boundaries
Anyone may decline a match, question, invitation or further contact, pause a conversation or leave a meeting without giving a reason. Accept a no, silence or a request to stop. Do not keep asking, pursue someone through another channel or pressure them to explain.
Never punish, exclude or retaliate against someone for setting a boundary, leaving a conversation or raising a concern. Nobody owes you their story, expertise, contacts or continued friendship.
4. Keep connection genuine and pressure-free
Come with curiosity rather than an agenda. Make space for both people to share and be heard. A usual one-hour conversation gives each person around 30 minutes. Online and in-person conversations are equally welcome. Let people choose what to disclose and do not force vulnerability.
Be honest about who you are and why you are participating. Do not impersonate someone, misrepresent your credentials or deceive people for money, access or influence.
Do not use a match or community space for unsolicited sales pitches, recruitment, fundraising, repeated promotional contact or pressure to provide unpaid work. Any separate business discussion or collaboration must be freely agreed by everyone involved. Being matched does not give permission to add someone to a marketing list.
Cuppa is for human connection, not a dating service. A match is not consent to romantic or sexual attention. Unwelcome sexual comments, jokes, images, touching, intrusive questions or persistent dating pressure are unacceptable, even once. Cuppa may restrict, suspend or end participation for inappropriate behaviour under the process in section 10.
5. Respect each other’s time
Respond to your matches, keep agreed arrangements and let people know as early as possible if you need to cancel or reschedule. Where possible, give at least 24 hours’ notice. Your safety comes first if you need to leave or cancel because you feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
Record completed conversations honestly and complete your reflection without unnecessarily revealing another person’s private story. An introduction, message exchange or no-show alone is not a completed conversation.
6. Protect privacy and ask before sharing
Treat another person’s story and contact details as theirs to control. Ask before sharing their identity, words, image, contact information, screenshots or anything else that could identify them.
For a public story, everyone identifiable must approve the words or edit, the identities shown and the intended channels. Consent must be informed, specific and freely given. Attendance, membership or a conversation is not blanket permission.
Do not record, photograph, transcribe or bring an AI note-taking tool into a conversation without specific prior consent from everyone affected and compliance with applicable law. The same applies to uploading another person’s messages, stories or personal information to AI tools or other services. Ask again if the purpose or audience changes. Respect a withdrawal of consent for future use and seek help about material already shared.
These expectations do not prevent seeking support or legal advice, making a lawful report to Cuppa or an appropriate authority, or lawfully preserving evidence. Keep disclosures necessary and proportionate rather than circulating them around the community. Seek advice if you are unsure what you may record or disclose.
7. Do not misuse community access
Scams, stalking, doxing, threats, non-consensual sharing of intimate images, malicious links and attempts to obtain private information through deception are prohibited. Do not threaten to share intimate images, evade a restriction through another account or use someone else to continue unwanted contact.
Do not suggest that Cuppa has vetted, endorsed or guaranteed a participant, their advice or their business. An invitation, referral or profile is not a guarantee of someone’s behaviour or your personal safety.
8. Help make participation safer and more accessible
Follow reasonable host and venue safety directions. Do not pressure anyone to drink alcohol, use substances, disclose personal experiences, travel with you or meet in a private place. Hosts should make it easy to take a break or leave without being singled out.
For an in-person meeting, choose a public place. Consider arranging your own transport and telling someone you trust about your plans. Share only the details you are comfortable sharing. These suggestions are not conditions for receiving help: responsibility for harmful behaviour stays with the person who causes it.
You do not need to buy a drink to participate. If you buy food or drinks, pay your own way unless you freely agree otherwise.
Contact enquiry@cuppa.tv to discuss what would make participation more accessible. You do not need to disclose a diagnosis to ask for support. Respect different communication styles, access requirements and ways of participating.
If you are in immediate danger, leave if you can do so safely and contact local emergency services. Cuppa is not an emergency service. Peer conversation is not a substitute for qualified medical, mental health, legal or financial advice.
9. Raise a concern
You can raise issues in your post-Cuppa feedback or email enquiry@cuppa.tv to report something that happened to you, something you witnessed or a pattern that worries you. Do not wait to finish a conversation or submit feedback before emailing a safety concern. You do not need to confront the person first, prove a legal breach or decide whether the behaviour meets a formal definition. You may ask someone you trust to help you report. At an event, you may also speak privately with the host.
Share what you are comfortable sharing: what happened, when and where, who was involved, any current safety concern, how you prefer to be contacted and what support or outcome you are seeking. Preserve evidence lawfully and securely. Do not investigate someone yourself or put yourself at risk to collect more.
If the concern involves someone who would normally handle reports, say this in your email and ask for it to be handled by someone not involved. The reporting address is enquiry@cuppa.tv.
If you prefer not to be identified, tell us. Limited information or anonymity may affect what can be established or done. We cannot promise absolute confidentiality, a particular finding or that a report can always be kept from the person concerned.
10. Respond fairly and put safety first
Cuppa will consider concerns respectfully, taking account of immediate risk, fairness and the wishes of the person affected. No one may intimidate, penalise or retaliate against someone for making a good-faith report, seeking support, taking part in a review or helping another person do so. A concern that cannot be substantiated is not, for that reason alone, a false report.
We will explain the next steps, relevant privacy limits and how we will keep in touch. Information will be shared only as needed for safety, a fair process, support or a legal obligation. Where safe and appropriate, we will explain necessary sharing. We will give notice of action and reasons, and a reasonable opportunity to respond before a final decision where safe, lawful and practicable. If urgent action is needed first, we will do so as soon as reasonably practicable afterwards. We may withhold identifying or sensitive details where reasonably necessary to protect someone’s safety or privacy or comply with the law, while providing enough information for a meaningful response where possible.
Where Cuppa reasonably considers immediate action necessary to address a credible risk of serious harm, we may restrict or suspend access, or remove a person from a conversation, event or community space, without prior notice while we assess the concern. A report or temporary restriction is not itself a finding of misconduct. We will review interim measures as the assessment progresses and keep them no broader or longer than reasonably necessary.
Cuppa may give guidance or a warning, impose contact limits, restrict participation, suspend an account or remove a person from the social network and movement where, acting reasonably and in good faith on the information available, we determine that they have breached this Code or the Terms, or that their participation presents a credible risk to another person’s safety or privacy. This includes harassment, discrimination, threats, stalking, sexual misconduct, scams, deception, unsolicited selling or recruitment, unauthorised sharing of personal information, repeated disregard of boundaries, retaliation against a person raising a good-faith concern, or evading a restriction. We will choose a response proportionate to the seriousness, impact, repetition and ongoing risk. We may terminate participation for a serious or repeated breach, or where reasonably necessary to address a serious ongoing safety risk. Decisions must be consistent with the Terms and applicable law. Forced mediation or reconciliation is not a condition of receiving help.
You can request a review at enquiry@cuppa.tv and explain any relevant information or concerns about the process. Where practicable, someone not involved in the original decision will review it. Internal reporting does not prevent you from seeking independent support, advice, an external complaint or a legal remedy. Restriction, suspension or termination does not automatically forfeit fees paid or remove refund, cancellation or other rights under the Terms or applicable law.
11. Accountability
A movement built on human connection depends on how we treat one another. Everyone is expected to follow this Code and respect reasonable safety directions. Hosts and organisers must also model these standards, respond to concerns and avoid using their position to pressure others. Being a valued member, speaker, partner or organiser does not exempt anyone.
Prices, participation periods, cancellations, refunds and replacement conversations are covered by the Terms and FAQ. Nothing in this Code removes or restricts your rights under applicable consumer law.
For questions about this Code or help applying it, contact enquiry@cuppa.tv.