For Parents

Guide: What Parents Need to Know About the Reler App

Reler is designed to help high school students safely expand their social circles. We know that trust matters, especially when it comes to online communities, so we've provided a clear breakdown of how Reler works and the steps we take to keep users safe.

3 minute read — by Van Druce

The Issue We’re Addressing

The Issue We’re Addressing

A growing number of high school students feel disconnected from their peers — even when surrounded by people every day.

  • 40% of young people report feeling lonely “often or very often.”

  • 1 in 4 high school students say they feel “socially isolated.”

This isn’t because they don’t want connection.
It’s because of how modern digital life shapes social circles.

Modern-Day Connection ≠ Archaic School Social Bubbles

Modern-Day Connection ≠ Archaic School Social Bubbles

Modern-Day Connection ≠ Archaic School Social Bubbles

The internet connected students — then divided them. Short-form algorithms have gotten too good at locking today's youth into their own niche interests. They've never been more isolated by the things they're into. Meanwhile, modern-day social bubbles are still limited to who happens to walk the same hallways.

Socially Split

  • Online life narrows interests, offering less and less things to connect over with students in their already-small school bubble.

Interest Isolated

  • Personal interests get too specific to easily find “their people” in their school bubble.

Seeing The Same Faces, Every Day

  • Most social interaction happens inside their one bubble — with almost no overlap outside it.

No Bridge Between Schools

  • Even when dozens of schools are nearby, they all remain separate social ecosystems.

Students want connection — but being confined to their school bubbles makes it difficult.

Our Approach

Our Approach

Start With Safety

  • Mandatory age verification before access, various school verification mechanisms, in-app safety reminders, safety-led product decisions, and more.

Widen The Pool (but close by)

  • Students can discover peers from nearby schools, not the entire internet — widening their social circle without removing context or accountability.

Efficient, Low-Pressure Interface

  • Reler uses a simple card-based introduction flow.
    There’s no posting, no feeds, no messaging, no pressure to perform.

Shared Interests Matter

  • Users can use their profile photos & bio to highlight genuine interests, so students can connect based on real overlap.

On Their Terms

  • There are no private DMs on Reler.
    If two students want to connect, they choose when to move the conversation to the platforms they already use.

Start With Safety

  • Mandatory age verification before access, various school verification mechanisms, in-app safety reminders, safety-led product decisions, and more.

Widen The Pool (but close by)

  • Students can discover peers from nearby schools, not the entire internet — widening their social circle without removing context or accountability.

Efficient, Low-Pressure Interface

  • Reler uses a simple card-based introduction flow.
    There’s no posting, no feeds, no messaging, no pressure to perform.

Shared Interests Matter

  • Users can use their profile photos & bio to highlight genuine interests, so students can connect based on real overlap.

On Their Terms

  • There are no private DMs on Reler.
    If two students want to connect, they choose when to move the conversation to the platforms they already use.

How We Keep Users Safe

How We Keep Users Safe

100% User Age Verification

  • Before anyone can use Reler, they must pass AI-Based Age Verification powered by Yoti — the same age verification system used by Instagram and Facebook. It is just a selfie, the image is not stored, and not able to identify the user personally. Read more about Yoti here.

School Verification (peer-to-peer checkmark)

  • Users can verify peers from their school using unique multi-digit codes. When a user enters a peer's code, we cross-check their school data, and if they match, both users receive one (1) Friend Verification each. Users can verify with up to five (5) peers. The Verified Checkmark is intended to add an extra layer of trust. It means the user has been confirmed by real-life peers in the app — not just by a system.

School Verification (school-issued email)

  • Soon-to-be mandatory school verification measure, utilizing school-issued email addresses and authentication codes. Currently in development and estimated to arrive in early 2026.

No Private Messaging

  • Reler doesn’t have private DMs.

    Instead, you can choose to add someone on social media only when you want to.

Content Moderation

  • Photos and bios are reviewed upon upload using Google's Vision AI moderation technology.

    If something isn’t okay, it's blocked — repeated blocks result in an account flag that is then reviewed by our Trust & Safety team.

In-App Popups

  • We show in-app popups to remind users how to use the app safely, and to encourage them to use available safety tools — such as our Report button — if needed.

User Report System

  • Users can report a profile in just two taps, from both the card stack and the connections page.

U.S. Human Moderation

  • Our Trust & Safety team reviews reports and flagged profiles promptly and takes action as appropriate.

100% User Age Verification

  • Before anyone can use Reler, they must pass AI-Based Age Verification powered by Yoti — the same age verification system used by Instagram and Facebook. It is just a selfie, the image is not stored, and not able to identify the user personally. Read more about Yoti here.

School Verification (peer-to-peer checkmark)

  • Users can verify peers from their school using unique multi-digit codes. When a user enters a peer's code, we cross-check their school data, and if they match, both users receive one (1) Friend Verification each. Users can verify with up to five (5) peers. The Verified Checkmark is intended to add an extra layer of trust. It means the user has been confirmed by real-life peers in the app — not just by a system.

School Verification (school-issued email)

  • Soon-to-be mandatory school verification measure, utilizing school-issued email addresses and authentication codes. Currently in development and estimated to arrive in early 2026.

No Private Messaging

  • Reler doesn’t have private DMs.

    Instead, you can choose to add someone on social media only when you want to.

Content Moderation

  • Photos and bios are reviewed upon upload using Google's Vision AI moderation technology.

    If something isn’t okay, it's blocked — repeated blocks result in an account flag that is then reviewed by our Trust & Safety team.

In-App Popups

  • We show in-app popups to remind users how to use the app safely, and to encourage them to use available safety tools — such as our Report button — if needed.

User Report System

  • Users can report a profile in just two taps, from both the card stack and the connections page.

U.S. Human Moderation

  • Our Trust & Safety team reviews reports and flagged profiles promptly and takes action as appropriate.

Our Roots

Our Roots

Reler was started in a high school classroom. What began as a sketch on lined paper in an English class in Utah has grown into a purpose-built product, now available for all American high schools.

Coming soon — we are in the early stages of assembling a board of accredited safety experts to help guide and strengthen our safety strategy.

Safety Board

Safety Board

Coming soon — we are in the early stages of assembling a board of accredited safety experts to help guide and strengthen our safety strategy.

Questions or Concerns?

Questions or Concerns?

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at: team@reler.app

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at: team@reler.app