StudyStream is a study space — harassment, explicit content, and disruptive behavior aren't tolerated. Here's how to report problems, protect yourself, and appeal if you think a moderation action was a mistake.
Report a user
On the web
- In the room, open the user's menu (click their tile / name) and choose "Report user".
- Fill in where it happened (Focus Room, Channel, DM, etc.) and the reason (Profanity, Bullying or harassment, Explicit content, Nudity or pornography, Other).
- Describe what happened and attach evidence (a screenshot or recording) — reports without evidence may not be actionable.
- Choose "Report", or "Report & Block" to also block them.
On the mobile app (iOS & Android)
- Long-press the user's tile in the room and choose "Report ".
- Pick the reason, describe how the rules were broken, review, and Submit. You can tick "Block this user?" at the end.
Rooms are moderated 24/7 — for urgent, in-progress incidents (e.g. explicit content on camera right now), use the same "Report user" flow above: moderators can remove and ban offenders within minutes.
Block a user
Blocking prevents all interaction between you and the other user (it works both ways): their tile disappears from your rooms (and yours from theirs), any pins between you are removed automatically, and they can no longer pin, encourage, wave at, or message you. Open their menu (web) or long-press their tile (mobile) and choose "Block user".
A few details worth knowing:
- Your existing direct-message conversation becomes read-only (it's restored if you unblock).
- Group chats or channels with this user will remain as normal.
- You can still open their profile — that's how unblocking works — but they can't see yours.
- For privacy reasons, we never confirm to anyone who blocked whom.
To unblock someone later: on the web, click your profile picture (top-right) → "View profile", then "Manage followers" under your bio and open the "Blocked users" tab — you can unblock from that list. On the mobile app there's no list: unblock from the person's profile menu or from the menu of your direct-message conversation with them — and since blocked users don't show up in search, the web list is the fallback if you can't reach either.
You can also control who can message you, pin you, or see your details under Privacy settings — on the web: click your profile picture (top-right) → "Privacy settings"; on mobile: tap your profile picture (top-left) → "Settings" → "Privacy settings".
Can someone I blocked still see me in a focus room?
No. A block is applied on both sides as soon as you confirm it: your tile disappears from their room and theirs from yours, even if you are both in the same room at that moment. They also can't open your profile, find you in search, pin you, encourage you or send you new messages. The direct-message conversation you had with them stays visible to both of you but is read-only, and any pins between you are removed. Group chats and channels you share keep working, and leaderboards still list everyone. The other person is not told that you blocked them.
Can I stop one person seeing or pinning me without blocking them?
In rooms, yes: use "Two-way hide" (Premium, website). In a focus room, open their tile's "…" menu (or the "…" on their row in the participant list) and choose "Two-way hide". Their tile disappears from your grid and yours from theirs, any pin and favorite between you is removed, and they aren't told. It works for people watching on the website; someone in the mobile app can still see your tile. Plain "Hide user" (any plan, and in the app: long-press their tile → "Hide" with their name) only hides them from you.
To undo either one on the web: Participant list → "All" tab → the eye toggle next to the search box ("Show hidden users") → "Unhide". In the app: tap your profile picture (top-left) → "Settings" → "Privacy settings" → "Hidden people" → "Unhide".
Hiding doesn't touch messages. There's no setting that stops only one person from messaging you; for that, block them.
We can't see each other in a room, but nobody blocked anyone
Then one of you has probably hidden the other. Each of you should check the hidden list (website: Participant list → "All" → "Show hidden users"; app: profile picture (top-left) → "Settings" → "Privacy settings" → "Hidden people") and press "Unhide" next to the other person. A two-way hide can only be undone by the person who set it.
Someone blocked me. Can I block them back?
There is nothing you need to do: a block already works in both directions. When someone blocks you, you can't open their profile, find them in search, pin them or message them, and they can't do any of that to you either — exactly as if you had blocked them yourself. That is also why you can't find their profile to block them: the block is already in place. Your own "Blocked users" list only shows people you blocked, so they won't appear there. If they ever unblock you and you'd rather keep them away, you can block them from their profile at that point.
"You have been timed out from a focus room"
A moderator temporarily removed you. The message shows how long until you can rejoin. Repeated or serious behavior can lead to a permanent ban.
If you think the timeout was a mistake, you can ask the moderation team to review it: email webapp.reporting@studystream.live from the email address on your account, with your display name, when it happened and what you were doing (screenshots help). Support can't lift or shorten a timeout from the chat.
"You are banned from joining future sessions"
A room ban was applied to your account. The ban notice arrives by email (subject "Account Suspension Notice") from webapp.reporting@studystream.live — check your spam folder if you can't find it.
Appealing a ban
If you believe your ban was a mistake, you can appeal — a few things to know:
- Appeals are reviewed after a 7-day waiting period from the ban — replies before that won't speed things up.
- Appeal by replying to the ban notice email from the email linked to your account, with your display name, what happened, and any evidence.
- Write the appeal in your own words — AI-generated appeals are rejected.
- If your appeal is accepted but you still can't enter the rooms after a day, reply to the email — reinstatement occasionally needs an extra step.
- Creating a new account while banned counts as ban evasion: the new account (and any subscription on it) gets suspended.
Banned with an active subscription?
A ban does not stop your billing automatically. If you subscribed on the web, contact us to stop the payments; App Store / Google Play subscriptions can only be cancelled by you, in the store — see: Cancelling or changing your subscription.
My whole account was deactivated or blocked
See: Recovering or reactivating your account — moderation-level account actions are appealed the same way, via webapp.reporting@studystream.live.
Content blocked or removed?
- If you see "This post contains some text that our system detected as potentially inappropriate", your message or post contained wording our system doesn't allow — rephrase it and try again.
- Our moderation team also reviews flagged content and may remove messages, comments, or reactions that break the rules. If you believe something of yours was removed by mistake, email webapp.reporting@studystream.live from the email linked to your account.
A note on privacy
We never share another user's personal data (name, email, activity), even in connection with a report — including for reports you filed. Our moderation team handles offenders directly.
One limit to set expectations: if someone re-posts content about you on another platform (Telegram, YouTube, Instagram…), we can act on their StudyStream account, but the off-platform content has to be reported to that platform.
Recording and streaming the rooms
You may not record, stream, or re-upload footage of focus rooms (to YouTube, TikTok, or anywhere else) — other members haven't consented to appearing in your content. If you see a room being streamed or recorded, report it like any other violation.
Sharing links, your own tool, or another app
Our community rules (studystream.live/rules) don't allow promotion: no advertising and no mentioning or linking external platforms or tools, directly or indirectly, in rooms, chats, posts, or your profile. This includes free tools and projects of your own. If a tool offers anything StudyStream already does (study timers, task tracking, study groups, camera overlays, stats), it can't be shared on StudyStream, even when it's free and meant to complement the platform. We don't make exceptions, so there is no need to ask for permission. Posts and messages that break this rule are removed by the moderation team.
Watch out for impersonators
StudyStream staff and moderators will never DM you on Instagram or other platforms asking for favors, payments, or personal information. If someone claims to be a StudyStream admin outside the app or our official Discord, ignore and report them.