Moderation Shapes Safety in New Peer Community

Researchers at King’s College London interviewed 39 community members and held a focus group with five moderators of CommonGround, a new online peer support community, as part of a 2026 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06222346). They found moderation essential for safety and engagement, highlighted challenges balancing safety versus free speech, and recommended co-produced policies, escalation pathways, moderator support, and technological tools to enable self-moderation.