A band is one of the few places an 11-year-old and a 70-year-old share a room every week. BandHQ is built for that rather than adapted to it, and none of what follows is an upgrade — it is on for every band, free.
From 13 upwards
A young player of 13 or over joins the same way anyone else does. You invite them, they set their own password, and they hold their own login.
Their profile is private by default because they are under 18. That is not something you have to remember to switch on.
Under 13
A player under 13 cannot sign themselves up. An admin adds them, and doing so requires a parent or guardian's email address.
The guardian is invited instead of the child. They accept on the child's behalf, and they hold the login. The child having their own login is optional and it is the guardian's decision, not the band's.
The link between guardian and child is recorded, and so is the consent.
What is on by default for every under-18
- Private profile. Contact details are visible to admins and to the member themselves, not to the whole band.
- No adult-to-child private messages. An adult cannot open a direct message with a child. This one is enforced inside the database itself, so no band setting and no mistake in the app can switch it off.
- Moderated content. Messages are checked, and images are scanned before they are shown.
- Report and block, available to everyone.
What this does not do
It does not verify anybody's age. It does not read every message a human would. Moderation is a net, not a guarantee, and image scanning runs after an upload rather than before it.
We would rather write that down than let a committee assume otherwise. The full version, including what we do when something goes wrong, is on the safeguarding page.
If you are worried about a child
If a child is in immediate danger, contact the police on 999. Do not wait for us.
For anything else, email safeguarding@usebandhq.com. It is read by our designated safeguarding lead and we aim to respond within two working days.
Last updated 2026-08-31