Trainer Field Guide

Children's Privacy (COPPA)

How We Protect Trainers Under 13

Pokémon is loved by trainers of all ages — including very young ones. Trainer Field Guide is designed so that younger trainers can participate safely, with appropriate protections in place and full transparency for parents and guardians.

Our Commitment

Trainer Field Guide complies with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), a United States federal law that protects the privacy of children under 13 online.

We commit to:

  • Collecting only the minimum data necessary from under-13 users
  • Requiring verified parental consent before any under-13 account is activated
  • Never displaying personal information about under-13 users publicly
  • Never showing advertising of any kind to under-13 users
  • Honouring all parental data deletion requests promptly

What does this mean?

COPPA is a US law that says websites must get a parent's permission before collecting information from children under 13, and must limit what they collect. We follow these rules because we believe it is the right thing to do — not just because we are required to.

What Data We Collect for Under-13 Accounts

We collect only:

  • Email address (for account management)
  • Date of birth (to verify age and apply the correct permissions)
  • Username (stored but not displayed publicly until the user turns 13)
  • Parent or guardian email address (used only for the consent process — never for marketing)
  • Pokémon collection data (which Pokémon the child marks as owned or as favorites)

We do not collect:

  • Full name
  • Home address
  • Phone number
  • Any payment information
  • Location data
  • Any data beyond what is listed above

What does this mean?

For children under 13, we ask for as little information as possible. We need an email and birthday to set up the account, and a parent's email to get their permission. That is it. We do not ask for names, addresses, or anything sensitive.

What Under-13 Users Cannot Do

The following features are restricted for under-13 users:

  • Public profiles — personal information is never displayed publicly
  • Username display — replaced by a system-generated Trainer ID in all public contexts
  • Profile pictures — not available until age 13
  • Following other trainers — not available until age 18
  • Social feed — not available until age 18
  • Liking profiles — not available until age 18
  • Friend codes — not available until age 18
  • Advertising — no advertising of any kind, ever, regardless of age or cookie preferences

What does this mean?

Younger trainers can use the reference tool and track their collection, but they cannot interact socially with other users or be found by them. Their identity is protected by a Trainer ID instead of a username, and they will never see ads.

What Under-13 Users Can Do

With a parent-approved account, under-13 trainers can:

  • Browse the full Pokédex (no account required for this)
  • Track their Pokémon collection and mark which ones they own
  • Favorite up to six Pokémon to showcase on their profile
  • Have a profile visible only to themselves

The Parental Consent Process

Here is exactly what happens when a child under 13 tries to create an account:

Step 1 — Child begins signup

The child enters their username, email, password, and date of birth. If the date of birth indicates they are under 13, a COPPA flow is triggered automatically.

Step 2 — Parent email required

The child is asked to provide a parent or guardian's email address. The account is created in a pending state — no account features are active yet.

Step 3 — Child can browse while waiting

While the account is pending, the child can browse the full Pokédex freely. They see a message: "We are waiting for your parent's approval. In the meantime, feel free to explore Pokémon!"

Step 4 — Parent receives a consent email

The parent or guardian receives an email explaining:

  • What Trainer Field Guide is
  • What their child can and cannot do at their age
  • What features will unlock automatically at age 13
  • What features will unlock automatically at age 18
  • A link to approve or decline the account

Step 5 — Parent approves or declines

  • If approved: The account activates. The child is notified and can start using their account.
  • If declined: The account is deleted. The child is notified.
  • If no response within 72 hours: The approval link expires. The child sees a message to ask their parent to check their email, with an option to resend the request.

What does this mean?

Your child cannot use account features until you say it is okay. You will get an email that explains everything clearly. You can approve, decline, or simply ignore it — if you ignore it, the account stays inactive and expires after 72 hours.

What Unlocks Automatically as Your Child Gets Older

Permissions upgrade automatically on the user's birthday based on their stored date of birth. Parents receive a notification email each time an upgrade occurs.

At age 13:

  • Public username display (instead of Trainer ID)
  • Profile picture upload
  • Profile visible to other trainers on the site

At age 18:

  • Ability to follow other trainers
  • Social activity feed (recent catches from followed trainers)
  • Ability to like trainer profiles
  • Friend code display (opt-in only — the user must choose to show this)
  • All remaining restrictions lifted

What does this mean?

As your child gets older, the site gradually gives them access to more features — automatically, on their birthday. You will receive an email each time this happens so you always know what changed.

Reporting and Moderation

All usernames and profile pictures on the platform can be reported by other users. Reports are reviewed and actioned according to our moderation policy. Usernames and profile pictures that violate community standards are removed.

Under-13 users do not have public usernames or profile pictures, so they cannot be targeted by other users through these mechanisms.

What does this mean?

If someone uses an inappropriate username or profile picture, other users can report it and we will review it. Children under 13 are not exposed to this risk because their profiles are not public.

Data Deletion — Parent and Guardian Rights

As a parent or guardian, you have the right to:

  • Review the personal information we have collected about your child
  • Correct any inaccurate information
  • Request deletion of your child's account and all associated data at any time

To exercise any of these rights, contact us here with the subject line "Data Deletion Request — Child Account" and include either the child's Trainer ID or the email address used at signup. We will process all requests within 30 days.

You may also decline consent at any time after approving an account. If you withdraw consent, the account will be deactivated and the child's data will be deleted within 30 days.

What does this mean?

As a parent, you are always in control. You can ask to see what we know about your child, ask us to fix anything wrong, or ask us to delete everything — at any time, not just at signup. Just send us a message and we will handle it within 30 days.

Contact Us

If you have questions about how we handle children's data, want to exercise your rights under COPPA, or have any concerns about your child's account, please contact us here. We take children's privacy seriously and will respond to all enquiries promptly.