Safety isn't a feature — it's the foundation of everything we built. Blockwork connects neighborhood teens with outdoor tasks and online tutoring, but only inside a system designed to protect young people and give parents confidence. Teens never enter a client's home — all in-person work happens outdoors, and all tutoring happens over video. Here's how every layer works.
Teens never enter a client's home under any circumstances. All in-person work is performed outdoors on the exterior of the property, and all tutoring and tech help is conducted remotely over video. Requesting or permitting a teen to enter a residence is a material violation of our terms and grounds for immediate account termination.
A teen under 18 can't post a service or take a job until a parent links to their account with their connection code and attests they're the teen's parent or legal guardian. Before any earnings are paid out, that parent sets up a payout account through Stripe, which confirms they're a real adult (18+) by checking their legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number and connects their bank account. Blockwork never sees or stores full SSNs or bank details — only the account status.
Parents connect a bank account directly with Stripe. We never see or store bank account or routing numbers — only the masked last four digits and the account status. All earnings pay out to the parent's account, never directly to the teen.
When a neighbor books a job, their payment is held by Stripe. The teen gets paid only after both sides confirm the job is complete. If something goes wrong, the parent can deny the booking and the neighbor gets a full refund.
No job is confirmed without the parent's explicit approval. Parents see the job details, the neighbor's name, the location, and the pay before saying yes. A parent can deny any booking at any time before it starts.
Blockwork automatically enforces the minor work-hour limits that apply in your state at booking — daily and weekly caps that vary by the teen's age, plus prohibited time windows so no minor is scheduled to work too early, too late, or during school hours. Rules depend on your state. A teen who has reached their weekly limit is shown as unavailable. The casual, irregular odd jobs offered on this platform are often exempt from a state's work-permit requirement under its odd-jobs exemption for irregular casual work in private homes. Parents and teens remain responsible for confirming any requirements applicable to their situation — Blockwork does not determine permit eligibility. Hour limits, age restrictions, and hazardous-occupation rules still apply. Parents are responsible for monitoring their teen's total hours, including any work outside the platform. (Blockwork is open only in states we have reviewed — check which states are open at /states.)
A teen's exact address and a neighbor's home address are hidden until a booking is confirmed. Messages are monitored for attempts to share contact information before a booking is approved.
All communication happens inside Blockwork. Messages are masked for personal information until a booking is confirmed. This keeps conversations on the platform where they're protected.
Teens can alert their parent instantly from any active job. Anyone can report a safety concern, inappropriate behavior, or an off-platform attempt. Reports are reviewed by our team and acted on quickly.
Blockwork is built around parent approval. A teen can't post a service or take a job until their parent is linked to their account, and the parent approves every service and every booking before anything goes ahead. All in-person work happens outdoors (teens never enter a client's home), and every payment is held until the job is done.
No — never. All in-person work is performed outdoors on the exterior of the property, and all tutoring happens over video. Requesting a teen to enter a residence is grounds for immediate account termination.
A parent links with the teen's connection code, enters their own legal name and date of birth, and attests that they are the teen's parent or legal guardian — that's what activates the teen's account, and it needs no bank account. Before any earnings can be paid out, the parent sets up a payout account through Stripe: Stripe checks their legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number to confirm they're a real adult and connects their bank account. Blockwork never sees or stores full SSNs or bank details — only the account status.
Teens can alert their parent instantly from any active job. Anyone can report a safety concern, and our team reviews reports quickly. For emergencies, call 911.
For urgent safety concerns during an active job, use the "Alert parent" or "Report" buttons directly in the booking or chat. For emergencies, call 911 immediately.