Safety

Last updated October 10, 2026. This page applies to the Jobingo Houston pilot.

Jobingo is a first-job marketplace for people 16 and older in the Houston area. This page explains the safety features that exist in the product, what we do not do, what to watch for, and how to report a problem.

If anyone is in immediate danger, call 911 first. Then tell a parent, guardian, or other trusted adult, and report it to Jobingo if you can do so safely.

This page is practical guidance for using Jobingo. It is not a promise that every listing or workplace is safe, and it is not legal advice about your rights at work. Employers remain responsible for following the law. Our Terms of service and Privacy policy are the rules for accounts, listings, and personal information.

1. What Jobingo does

These are features that exist in the product today:

• You must be 16 or older to create an account. We store a date of birth only to check Jobingo’s age rule and whether you meet a job’s minimum age. Employers see that yes/no result. They do not see your birth date.
• We review each business before its listings can appear to students. Staff look at the information the employer gave us and, where they can, at public records, a website, or another way to confirm the business is real. A listing that says “Verified by Jobingo” means that review happened. It does not mean we inspected the workplace or met every manager.
• We review each listing before students can see it. Staff check that duties sound like real work, that base pay is clear, that hours are not written as guaranteed earnings, that required shifts are labeled, that a minimum age above 16 has a reason, that the role is an ordinary paid job, and that the listing does not ask for applicant fees, gift cards, or sensitive documents. A person does this review. It is not an automated scan of every word.
• From your profile we do not show employers your birth date, account email, or home street address. We do not collect a full home street address from students. Employers see an application name, introduction, availability, experience, skills, answers, a search-area label based on ZIP code, whether you meet the job’s minimum age, and a résumé if you attached one and it has passed review.
• Applications on Jobingo have a message thread. We keep those messages so both sides can see the record and so our staff can read them if someone reports a problem. Students can block further messages on a thread. Staff can hide a message or pause a conversation.
• Résumés are PDF files. Staff review a file before an employer can download it. A file that does not pass is not shared. This is a human review, not an automated malware scanner.
• Signed-in users can report a listing, a message, or an interview. Staff can pause a listing, suspend a business or account, hide a message, or restrict a conversation while they look into it.

2. What Jobingo does not do

• We do not hire you, set your pay, or supervise your shift.
• We do not automatically check job duties against federal or Texas hazardous-occupation rules. Employers must follow those laws. Our listing review is a human checklist, not a legal clearance.
• We do not sit in on interviews or visit workplaces.
• We cannot see what happens on an employer’s own application website. Some listings send you there on purpose. That employer’s process applies once you leave.
• We do not promise how fast we will finish a report. We read reports that reach us. Do not wait for Jobingo if you need the police or a trusted adult.
• We do not have a separate parent or guardian account. A parent or guardian can help you use Jobingo and can email us. We do not collect school records or government ID to create a student profile.

3. What employers can and cannot see

An employer sees your application only after you apply to that job, and only if you have given permission to share your application profile. You can turn that permission off in Settings. You will not be able to apply again until you turn it back on.

They can see

• Your application name, introduction, availability, experience, and skills.
• Your answers to their questions, and a résumé after staff review if you attached one.
• Whether you meet that job’s minimum age — not your date of birth.
• A search-area label based on ZIP code, not your home street address.
• Messages you send on that application, including anything you type there.

They cannot see from your Jobingo profile

• Your birth date.
• The email address on your account.
• A home street address. We do not collect one.
• Your password.
• Applications you sent to other employers.

If you put a phone number, personal email, or social account in a message, the employer can see it. For a phone interview, the product expects you to arrange the number in messages. Share the least you need, and tell a trusted adult.

4. Jobs that leave Jobingo

Some listings are marked so you apply on the employer’s website. We can record that you opened the link, and you can mark that you applied. We cannot see the application you submit there, the messages you send there, or whether that employer’s site is safe. Read the listing on Jobingo first. If anything looks wrong, do not continue, and report the listing.

5. Red flags

Treat these as reasons to stop, tell a trusted adult, and report the listing or message. A business that passed verification can still have a bad listing or a person who breaks the rules.

• Being asked to pay for training, equipment, a background check, or to “reserve” a job.
• Requests for bank login details, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or to cash a check and send money back.
• Requests for a Social Security number, government ID, or school records on Jobingo.
• Pressure to move the conversation to a personal phone or social media right away, before you have a real interview plan.
• Interviews at someone’s home, at night, or anywhere other than the workplace on the listing or a public place you can tell someone about.
• Pay that seems far too high for the work described, or pay that is only commission, tips, or “to be discussed” with no number.
• A listing that will not say where the work is, or that asks you to meet before you can read the job.

Jobingo is free for students. No employer on Jobingo is allowed to charge you to apply.

6. Messages

Keep hiring conversation on Jobingo when the application is on Jobingo. That is how our staff can help if you report a problem. You can block an employer from sending more messages on that thread. If staff hide a message or pause a conversation, you will see that in the thread.

Do not send passwords, bank details, or ID documents in messages. If someone asks, refuse and report the message.

7. Interviews

Employers propose a time on Jobingo. You must confirm it. You can decline or cancel. If they change a material detail, you will be asked to confirm again. Interviews can be in person, by phone, or by video.

• Tell a parent, guardian, or friend where you are going and when you expect to be back.
• Meet at the workplace named on the listing, or in a public place. Do not go to a private home.
• For video, use the link on the interview. For phone, you do not have to share more than a number you are willing to give.
• You can say no, leave, or cancel. Cancel on the interview page so the employer is told.

Jobingo does not attend the interview and cannot see a phone call or a video meeting hosted outside our site.

8. Work that is unsafe or not allowed for people under 18

Federal and Texas law give extra limits to workers under 18, including bans on certain hazardous jobs and machinery. Employers who hire through Jobingo agree to follow those laws. We remind them in the employer terms. We do not have a complete encoded list of prohibited duties, and listing review is not a substitute for that legal duty.

If you are asked to do something that feels unsafe, that you have not been trained for, or that you think is not allowed for your age — stop. Tell a supervisor if you can do so safely, leave if you need to, tell a trusted adult, and report it on Jobingo. If you are hurt or in danger, call 911.

This is not a full statement of wage-and-hour or youth-employment law. For official rules, see the U.S. Department of Labor and the Texas Workforce Commission.

9. How to report a problem

If you are signed in, use Report on a listing, on a message, or on an interview. You will be asked what is wrong. The choices are: scam or a request for money or bank details; a misleading listing; unsafe or illegal work; harassment or inappropriate contact; discrimination; or something else. You may add details. Do not include passwords or bank information in the report.

Only Jobingo staff who handle safety and support see the report. The other person is not shown what you wrote. You can also email support@jobingo.example if you cannot use the report form.

After a report reaches us, staff can:

• Mark it as investigating, actioned, or dismissed, and keep a note.
• Hide a message or pause that conversation.
• Take a listing down so students no longer see it.
• Suspend a business or an account.

We may not tell you every step we take, especially when it involves someone else’s account. If we need more information, we will contact you with the email on your account.

10. Parents and trusted adults

Jobingo does not require a parent to create the account, and we do not offer a parent login. If you are 16 or 17, it is still wise to show a parent or guardian the listing, the workplace name, and any interview plan. They can email us at support@jobingo.example.

We do not ask for school records or government ID to create a student profile. Do not send those to an employer on Jobingo.

11. Changes

If we change how safety features work in a way that affects you, we will update this page and the date above. The Terms of service explain when we also notify you in the product or by email.

12. Contact

Support and safety reports: support@jobingo.example
Privacy requests: see the Privacy policy

If you have a concern you do not want to send through the product, you can email us directly. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 911.