1. Core Principles

Debate the idea, not the person

Your argument should stand on its own. If you need to attack someone personally, your argument probably can't.

Engage the opposite side honestly

Steelman, don't strawman. Address what they actually said, not the worst version of it.

Assume good faith until proven otherwise

Not everyone who disagrees with you is acting in bad faith. Give people a chance to explain themselves.

Strong opinions are welcome; contempt is not

Be passionate. Be direct. Be confident. But don't treat your opponent as beneath you.

2. What's Not Allowed

These behaviors will get you warned, removed, or banned. No exceptions.

×Personal insults - "You're stupid," "idiot," attacking character instead of arguments
×Harassment - Following someone across debates, repeated targeting, mob behavior
×Threats - Any threats of violence, real or implied
×Doxxing - Sharing private information without consent
×Encouraging harm - Real-world harm, self-harm, or illegal activity
×Bad-faith participation - Trolling, derailing, refusing to engage, wasting everyone's time

This isn't a list of things we'd "prefer" you avoid. These are hard lines.

3. Speech & Sensitive Topics

We lean toward US-style free speech norms. That means we allow a lot - but not everything.

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Profanity is allowed when used naturally, not as abuse

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Controversial opinions on politics, religion, culture, history - all allowed

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Unpopular or minority views are protected - debate them, don't ban them

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Discussions of race, gender, religion, ideology are allowed in good faith

4. Conspiracies & Fringe Ideas

Debbly is not a platform for promoting conspiracy theories or fringe claims. We think most of them are wrong, unproductive, and distract from better conversations.

That said, debate can be a useful way to stress-test ideas — including bad ones. We won't remove content just because it contradicts mainstream consensus. We do care about intent, quality, and behavior.

5. Debate Conduct (On Stage)

This is a debate platform, not a shouting match. When you're on stage, you're expected to:

Take turns speaking

Let your opponent finish their point before responding.

Avoid constant interruptions

Brief interjections are fine. Talking over someone for minutes is not.

Engage directly with arguments

Don't dodge, pivot endlessly, or refuse to answer questions.

Don't stonewall

If you're not going to engage, why are you here?

Intensity is fine. Passion is fine. But if every debate you're in turns into chaos, the problem might be you.

6. Claims Rules

When you create a claim for debate, it must assert a clear, debatable position — not just name a topic. Reasonable people should be able to disagree with your claim.

Claims must not contain:

×Personal attacks against private individuals (criticism of public figures' actions and policies is allowed)
×Hate speech targeting identity with exclusion or inferiority
×Promotion of illegal acts (debating laws and policy changes is allowed)
×Explicit sexual content unless clearly framed as serious educational, medical, or policy debate
×Spam, advertising, or promotional content
×Nonsense, gibberish, or low-effort content that cannot lead to meaningful debate

Claims are automatically reviewed and may be lightly normalized for clarity (spelling, grammar, formatting) while preserving your original meaning and intent.

7. Audience Behavior

Viewers should not:

Harass debaters
Coordinate abuse campaigns
Encourage real-world harm
Spam or flood chat

Cheering for your side is fine. Organizing a pile-on is not.

8. Enforcement

We use a combination of automated systems and human review to enforce these guidelines.

How we moderate:

AI moderation — Chat messages and claims are automatically reviewed for violations in real time
User reports — You can report violations directly from within a debate or on any content
Manual review — Reported content and flagged accounts are reviewed by our team

What happens when you violate the rules:

Warning

For minor or first-time violations, you may receive a warning.

Content removal

Violating content (claims, messages, etc.) may be removed automatically or after review.

Ban

Serious or repeated violations will result in a ban. Banned users cannot create claims, send messages, or participate in debates.

We reserve the right to take action at our sole discretion. If you believe an enforcement action was made in error, contact us at hello@debbly.com.

These guidelines work alongside our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Questions or concerns? Contact us at hello@debbly.com.