HELP AND ADVICE FOR TEENAGERS FACING 18

We’re a safe platform offering thought-provoking and engaging articles for UK teens. We aim to answer those awkward questions all teenagers have at times.

Our articles are written and curated by an inhouse team including parents, educators, youth workers, and subject specialists.

No. We have no likes, shares, or comments and no public profiles or any way to engage other users. We are a safe library of carefully written articles to inform teenagers on subjects including mental health, sex and staying safe.

We have a desktop website and a fully responsive design ensuring you can access all our content on a tablet and phone too. Our app is available for those that prefer to use it to make it even easier to access content on the go.

Yes, that’s the whole point. We wanted to create a home for content which is useful to teenagers in the UK. Whatever the time of day or night, wherever you are, if you have a question of concern our articles and guides will help.

New articles are published every week. Our team of experts usually publish new articles and guides for teenagers on a daily basis.

No, not at all. The website is completely free.

100%. We focus on what it’s like growing up in the UK and we tackle content including:

Body & Fitness – Beauty Advice, Gym knowledge, Healthy diets, Improving your fitness, Puberty, Sports advice, Spots & Acne, Vegetarian & vegan, Weight issues

Family – Brothers & sisters, Coping with divorce, Death & grief, Holidays, Living with pets, Moving house, Parents & Conflict, Serious Illness

Friends & Relationships – Abusive relationships, Bullying, Dealing with conflict, Ending relationships, Making friends, Managing friendships, Romantic relationships, Sex & contraception, Socialising

Mental Health – Addiction support, Body image, Dealing with stress, Eating disorders, Gender identity, Managing anger, Managing your emotions, Self-Harm & Suicide, Sexuality, Understanding anxiety

School & Hobbies – College and University, Coping with exams, GCSEs, A-Levels and more, Hobbies, Jobs & working, Online Gaming, Saving & managing money, Surviving School

Staying Safe – Alcohol, Cigarettes & Vaping, County Lines, Drugs, Grooming, Knife Crime, Online Abuse, Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Staying safe in public, Staying safe online

World Matters – Conflict & war, Environment, Human rights, Police & the law, Politics, Racism, Religion, Sexism

No. We have invested a lot of time in ensuring that our website works across all platforms and devices to ensure it can be accessed anywhere but you do need an internet connection.

Absolutely. We welcome feedback from both teens and parents. Send your ideas for improvements to us at team@facing18.com

We cover a massive range of topics important to British teens including:

Body & Fitness – Beauty Advice, Gym knowledge, Healthy diets, Improving your fitness, Puberty, Sports advice, Spots & Acne, Vegetarian & vegan, Weight issues

Family – Brothers & sisters, Coping with divorce, Death & grief, Holidays, Living with pets, Moving house, Parents & Conflict, Serious Illness

Friends & Relationships – Abusive relationships, Bullying, Dealing with conflict, Ending relationships, Making friends, Managing friendships, Romantic relationships, Sex & contraception, Socialising

Mental Health – Addiction support, Body image, Dealing with stress, Eating disorders, Gender identity, Managing anger, Managing your emotions, Self-Harm & Suicide, Sexuality, Understanding anxiety

School & Hobbies – College and University, Coping with exams, GCSEs, A-Levels and more, Hobbies, Jobs & working, Online Gaming, Saving & managing money, Surviving School

Staying Safe – Alcohol, Cigarettes & Vaping, County Lines, Drugs, Grooming, Knife Crime, Online Abuse, Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Staying safe in public, Staying safe online

World Matters – Conflict & war, Environment, Human rights, Police & the law, Politics, Racism, Religion, Sexism

Our editorial team works with teen focus groups and educators to stay relevant and inclusive.

Yes. We carefully fact-check all articles and ensure that the guidance being given is age appropriate and helpful.

We write all of our content with teens aged 11-17 in mind. Some articles are shorter than others but each piece of content features an introduction confirming the total word count and estimated reading time.

No. It is vital that all of our articles are accurate and responsibly written for teens. We welcome requests from users to write new articles on subjects that are of interest but we do not accept articles from external sources. This helps ensure that our content remains high quality.

We cover sensitive topics thoughtfully and age-appropriately. The very reason for launching Facing18 is to answer the questions that teens naturally have as they experience more and more of the world.

We do not shy away from any topic if we feel teens will be seeking support or guidance on it. We attempt to provide very balanced views on all subjects. We are aware that some users may hold different opinions to those we promote; this is fine and is part of life.

As educators and parents we know that if a teen has a question on a tricky subject they may not wish to ask a parent or teacher. If they take to the internet to find the answer they may find something accurate and helpful but likewise, they might find something inaccurate or damaging. We don’t shy away from any topic because we know that leaves teens seeking answers elsewhere from untrusted sources.

No. We want to keep Facing18 as a resource for information rather than an interactive website or social media platform. We create high quality content and we want to make it available to young people with as little distraction as possible.

Yes. Because we are browser based you can bookmark any content you wish to save and it will be stored in your chosen web browser (Chrome, Edge, Safari etc).

We purposely have not built functionality into Facing18 which stores details of articles you read. This is for security purposes, we recognise that many of the topics we cover (and things our users search for) are sensitive. We do not wish to track content users access to protect their privacy.

No, although if you use a screen reader our content is designed to work perfectly so that anyone with visual impairment is not excluded from enjoying our content.

Yes. We review and update articles on a weekly basis. Our team is always working on new content and in fact you will normally find new content published daily.

Absolutely. We use end-to-end encryption and are fully GDPR-compliant. Furthermore, we do not store details of any content viewed to provide complete privacy to our users.

Never. Your data will never be sold, shared, or used for advertising.

No. Facing18 was created to address a need for answers to sensitive questions that many teens have. Our discussions with teenagers shows that they are often uncomfortable speaking to their parents or teachers about certain topics and as a result they seek answers from other sources, not always trustworthy.

Facing18’s success is due to the fact we are recognised by teens as a trustworthy resource avoiding the need to approach an adult. If we allow parents to restrict content or view articles that are being read we lose that trust and teens will revert back to untrusted sources of information with potentially dangerous consequences.

Our content is vetted by our team of experts to ensure it is age appropriate following safeguarding guidance to schools. We appreciate that some parents may feel uncomfortable with some of the topics we discuss, however, it is very likely all teenagers will have questions that they seek answers to.

Facing18 advocates for age-appropriate transparency and openness. There is nothing we are ashamed or embarrassed to talk about.

No. We do not track GPS or collect location data.

Yes. No personal details are collected, displayed or shared..

We’ll notify you immediately, comply with ICO protocols, and take swift action to secure the website.

No. This is a solo experience – there is no peer-to-peer messaging or interaction. This is not an accident, we want Facing18 to remain a safe and secure environment for learning more about subjects, it is not a social media platform.

All content goes through a strict moderation process so that our team is absolutely confident it is age appropriate and accurate before we publish it.

Our articles are tailored for teens aged 11-17, with age-appropriate language, topics, and visuals. We recognise there is a quite a broad gap between 11 and 17 years of age, however, there will also be huge variation in physical, mental and emotional maturity within a school year. Our content is appropriate for secondary school aged teenagers and aligns with teaching at this level.

Both! We blend engaging, teen-relevant content with educational value – covering mental health, current affairs, study tips, digital safety, and much more.

We want our users to come to us for advice and we can only achieve that if our content is both educational and engaging. Often we will incorporate some humour into articles or real-life examples.

No. Facing18 was created to address a need for answers to sensitive questions that many teens have. Our discussions with teenagers shows that they are often uncomfortable speaking to their parents or teachers about certain topics and as a result they seek answers from other sources, not always trustworthy.

Facing18’s success is due to the fact we are recognised by teens as a trustworthy resource avoiding the need to approach an adult. If we allow parents to restrict content or view articles that are being read we lose that trust and teens will revert back to untrusted sources of information with potentially dangerous consequences.

Our content is vetted by our team of experts to ensure it is age appropriate following safeguarding guidance to schools. We appreciate that some parents may feel uncomfortable with some of the topics we discuss, however, it is very likely all teenagers will have questions that they seek answers to.

Facing18 advocates for age-appropriate transparency and openness. There is nothing we are ashamed or embarrassed to talk about.

Absolutely. Our platform is 100% free with no hidden fees, upselling or in-app purchases.

All content is reviewed by our team of UK-based experts including educators, parents, mental health practitioners and other professionals before publication.

No. Facing18 was created to address a need for answers to sensitive questions that many teens have. Our discussions with teenagers shows that they are often uncomfortable speaking to their parents or teachers about certain topics and as a result they seek answers from other sources, not always trustworthy.

Facing18’s success is due to the fact we are recognised by teens as a trustworthy resource avoiding the need to approach an adult. If we allow parents to restrict content or view articles that are being read we lose that trust and teens will revert back to untrusted sources of information with potentially dangerous consequences.

Our content is vetted by our team of experts to ensure it is age appropriate following safeguarding guidance to schools. We appreciate that some parents may feel uncomfortable with some of the topics we discuss, however, it is very likely all teenagers will have questions that they seek answers to.

Facing18 advocates for age-appropriate transparency and openness. There is nothing we are ashamed or embarrassed to talk about.

We don’t believe they will, however, we appreciate that every child is different in terms of life experience and comfort with different subjects.

Our content is written to be age-appropriate for 11-17 year olds. If your child is upset by anything they have read, it is important to talk to them openly about what has upset them. There is nothing more positive than communicating with a child in your care so we encourage open family discussions.

No individual data is collected and nothing can identify a child. We can see how many people read each article but cannot see who it is. All data is anonymised and used to see what articles children are finding useful to allow us to develop these areas further. We’re fully GDPR and ICO-compliant.