It says I'm too young. Why was my account closed?
SOS is for people 13 and older, so a younger date of birth stops sign-up, closes a new account, or can pause an older one.
What happened
You did nothing wrong, and thank you for being honest. SOS is not built for children under 13.
SOS asks for a date of birth, either when you sign up or in the setup questions. The terms can also ask you to confirm that you are 13 or older. SOS cannot check that an answer is true.
A date that shows an age under 13 stops sign-up or setup, and SOS does not keep that date.
If sign-up starts with the question When were you born?, it comes before the terms. For ages 13 to 17, the terms then show an Under 18 card. It asks you to read them with a parent or guardian, or to share them with one.
If you see Let's get a grown-up
This page appears at sign-up when your date of birth shows an age under 13. SOS did not create an account, and nothing you typed was saved.
The page has Open Help and Back to the start. This device remembers the stop for 24 hours, so sign-up shows the page again until then. It does not keep your date.
In the setup questions
The setup questions ask for a date of birth if SOS does not have one yet. A date under 13 stops setup.
SOS closes an account made in the last few days, and nothing from the setup questions is saved.
SOS does not close an older account. The screen tells you which of two things happens: you can go back and correct the date, or the account is paused.
If your account says This account is paused
SOS pauses an account when a date of birth under 13 is given for it. A person at SOS can also pause an account after learning that the member is under 13.
The page has Open Help, Contact us and Sign out. Help and SOS Mode stay open. The rest of SOS is closed for a paused account.
A parent or guardian can contact us to talk about it. We read every note. We can't promise a reply time.
If you picked the wrong date by mistake
At sign-up you can try again with the right date. If this device showed Let's get a grown-up, it shows that page for 24 hours first.
Signing up again does not fix a paused account. Tap Contact us on the paused page, or write to admin@sosforchange.org, and say what happened.
If the account was not closed
If the screen says it could not close the account, write to admin@sosforchange.org from your sign-up address and ask us to close it.
If something is hard right now
You do not have to wait until you are 13 to get support. A trusted adult can help too.
Call or text 988 at any time to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can also text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line. If you are in danger right now, call 911.
What happens next
You are welcome back once you turn 13.