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🛡️ safety & trust

How we verify
every sitter.

zyttle is a platform that helps families and sitters in the same neighborhood find each other. This page is a plain-language explanation of what we check before a sitter can appear in any parent's search — and what we don't.

Mandatory
verifications.

Every adult sitter on zyttle completes government-issued ID verification, mobile phone verification, and a sex offender registry screening before their profile is approved. Teen sitters complete phone verification and require explicit guardian approval. Parents themselves are also screened against the sex offender registry at signup. These verifications are not optional — a sitter who hasn't completed them does not appear in any parent's search.

01
🆔

identity verification

Every adult sitter verifies their identity with a government-issued ID and a live selfie. The photo is matched against the ID to confirm the person is who they say they are.

  • Government-issued ID capture
  • Live selfie biometric match
  • Required for every adult sitter before going live
02
📱

phone verification

Every account on zyttle — parent, teen sitter, adult sitter — verifies a real mobile phone number via SMS code at signup.

  • SMS code verification on every account
  • One account per verified number
  • Required before any profile can be created
03
🔍

sex offender registry screening

Every adult on zyttle — sitters and parents alike — is screened against public sex offender registries at signup, before they can browse sitters or accept a booking.

  • Run on adult sitters at signup
  • Run on parents at signup
  • Re-run if a name or address change is flagged
04
👨‍👩‍👧

guardian approval (teen sitters)

Teen sitters (13–17) cannot go live until a parent or guardian reviews and approves their profile. A real adult who is legally responsible for them must explicitly approve before the teen's profile appears in any search.

  • Guardian provides phone number at teen signup
  • Guardian receives a verification link and approves explicitly
  • Guardian acceptance of terms is recorded on the account

The Background Checked badge.

Adult sitters (18+) can complete a Checkr background check at their own expense. Sitters who complete Checkr and receive a clear result earn a Background Checked badge on their profile.

📋

Shown at every step

The badge is visible on every sitter card, on the sitter's profile, and at booking time. Before you confirm a booking with a sitter who hasn't completed Checkr, you'll see a clear note about what verifications they have completed so you can make an informed choice. Parents can also filter their search to show only sitters with the badge.

Coordination stays
on the platform.

All messaging between parents and sitters happens inside zyttle. We automatically redact personal contact details in chat so coordination stays on-platform — where every message is recorded and the protections you signed up for stay in place.

  • Phone numbers redacted in messages
  • Email addresses redacted in messages
  • Payment app handles redacted in messages
  • All messages logged securely in our database

This protects both sides. Parents don't get unsolicited contact from sitters. Sitters don't have to hand out their personal number to families they haven't booked yet.

how it looks in chat

Hi! I'm available Saturday evening 😊
Great — what's your rate for 2 kids?
$14/hr — happy to confirm whenever you're ready.
Can you text me at 🚫 [phone removed] to coordinate?
No worries — let's keep it here. I see your dates open in the app.

Every report is
read by a person.

Reports aren't dropped into a queue. Here's what happens when someone flags a concern.

01

anyone can report

Parents, sitters, or guardians can flag any profile or message. Reports are submitted through the app with a reason and any detail the reporter wants to share.

02

our team reviews

Every report is read and reviewed by our team. We look at the account, the messages, and the booking history. Where a report raises a safety concern, the account can be suspended while we investigate.

03

logged either way

All reports are recorded permanently, even when no immediate action is taken. That means patterns are visible over time, and we don't lose context if something comes up later.

What every family
gets, every time.

🔒

no adult sitter goes live unverified

Every adult sitter completes ID, phone, and registry verification before their profile is approved. A sitter who hasn't completed these does not appear in any parent's search.

👨‍👩‍👧

no teen sitter goes live without a guardian

Teen sitters (13–17) cannot appear in any search until a real, verified guardian has reviewed and approved their profile.

📋

verification status is always visible

What's verified on each sitter — and what isn't — is shown on their card, on their profile, and again at booking time. You make the call with full information.

💬

every message is logged

All in-app messages are securely stored. If a concern is raised, we have a complete record to review. Nothing disappears.

📍

neighborhood-level trust

We don't just match by city. The sitters you see are from your actual neighborhood — people with real local reputations to protect.

👁️

real eyes on every report

Reports are read and reviewed by our team — not by a queue. Where a report raises a safety concern, the account can be suspended while we investigate.

zyttle is a platform — not a vetting service.

zyttle helps families and sitters find each other. The verifications described on this page are the steps we take to support that. Beyond those, zyttle does not vet, employ, or supervise sitters, and is not responsible for their conduct during a booking. Our full Terms of Service describe this in more detail.

Things parents
ask us most.

No — a Checkr background check is optional. Every adult sitter is required to complete government-issued ID verification, phone verification, and a sex offender registry screening before their profile is approved. A Checkr criminal background check is something an adult sitter can choose to add on at their own expense. Sitters who complete it and receive a clear result earn a "Background Checked" badge, which is visible on their profile and at booking time. You can also filter your search to show only sitters with the badge.
Teen sitters under 18 cannot go through a formal criminal background check by law. Every teen sitter completes phone verification and a sex offender registry screening — and their own parent or guardian must review and approve their profile before they ever go live. That guardian approval comes standard with zyttle, and it means a real, verified adult has vouched for them.
All pre-booking coordination happens inside zyttle. Personal contact details shared in chat — phone numbers, email addresses, payment app handles — are automatically redacted so coordination stays on-platform. Once you confirm a booking, your sitter will get the practical details they need to show up, like your address.
Every report is read and reviewed by our team. If a safety concern is raised, the account can be suspended while we investigate. All reports are logged so patterns are visible over time, even when no immediate action is taken. We don't share details of who reported what with the other party.
When a teen sitter (13–17) signs up, they cannot go live until a parent or guardian completes a verification step. The guardian provides their own phone number, receives a verification link, reviews the teen's profile, and explicitly approves it — including accepting the terms of service on the teen's behalf. The approval and the timestamp are recorded on the teen's account.
Yes. Parents complete phone verification and are screened against public sex offender registries at signup. Sitters deserve to know that families on the platform are accountable too.
We work with established providers for each step. Identity verification is run through Stripe Identity. Phone verification is run through Twilio. Sex offender registry screening is run through Offenders.io. The optional background check is run through Checkr — paid for directly by the sitter.

ready to find a sitter
you can trust?

Every sitter who appears in your search has completed the mandatory verifications above. The rest of the choice is yours.