ScoreKids Last updated: September 16, 2026 Contact: scorekidsapp@gmail.com
ScoreKids is a kid-safe sports app for families. We collect as little as possible, we don’t show ads, and we don’t sell personal information.
This policy is for parents and caregivers. It describes what the app does today. If anything is unclear, email us.
Note: This is product transparency, not formal legal advice. We design in a COPPA-minded way. A lawyer will review this before a full public App Store listing, payments, or any claim that we are “COPPA compliant.”
1. Who this app is for
ScoreKids is for kids roughly ages 7–14 and the families who use it with them.
Because the app is directed to children, we:
- Collect minimal personal information
- Do not build advertising profiles
- Do not offer public social feeds or stranger chat
- Let parents turn off optional extras (Ask Scout, Binder, alerts) in Settings
You do not need an account to see scores. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow’s board, plus standings, work without signing in.
2. Information we collect
2.1 Stored on your device (most common)
These stay on the phone or browser until you clear site data or uninstall:
| What | Why |
|---|---|
| Favourite teams, hearts, pins | Show “your teams” and Lock Screen picks |
| Binder / card collection | Save the fan scrapbook on this device |
| Optional display name | A local ScoreKids ID label — not a legal name |
| Theme, onboarding, parent toggles | Remember Settings (including Scout / Binder off) |
Reinstalling the app or using a second device clears this copy unless a parent later turns on optional backup (not on yet — see §3).
We do not require a child’s legal name, school, birthday, phone, address, or photo to use scores.
2.2 Technical information (to run the app)
When you open ScoreKids, our host (Vercel) may see ordinary request data: browser or device type, which pages or API routes loaded (for example “today’s MLB scores”), IP-level logs, and error reports.
We use this to keep scores loading. We do not use it for ads.
2.3 Ask Scout (optional)
If someone uses Ask Scout, the question text is sent to our servers, then to xAI (Grok) so Scout can answer in kid-safe language from the scoreboard facts we attach.
- We ask xAI not to keep the chat (
store: false). - We do not use Scout questions for ads.
- Scout is optional. Parents can turn it off in Settings. Scores work without it.
- Scout questions are not a ScoreKids login.
2.4 iPhone notifications and Lock Screen
If you install the iPhone app and tap Allow for notifications, the app sends:
- An anonymous device id (not an Apple ID or name)
- The team ids you follow or heart
- Apple Push (APNs) tokens (banners, Lock Screen score cards, and push-to-start)
We store those on our servers (Upstash) so scores and game-start banners can update when the app is closed. This is not a ScoreKids account. Turning notifications off, deleting the app, or emailing us stops new pushes.
2.5 Kid-safe news (our publishing)
We use xAI (Grok) on our side to help write kid-safe news recaps. That is our News Desk, not a child’s chat. Opening the News tab does not send your child’s questions to xAI.
2.6 What we do not collect
- Child’s email, birthday, school, or photo
- Precise location for ads or tracking
- Contacts, camera, microphone, or photo library
- Public profiles other kids can browse
- In-app chat between kids
- Payment cards on free score use
3. Optional backup (not on yet)
Today we do not collect a parent email in the app.
We plan an optional “save my teams and binder” later: a parent email and a short login code (no password). A backup copy would live in the same store we already use (Upstash), so a reinstall or second device can restore favourites and the binder. Scores would still work if you never turn this on. We will update this policy before that feature starts.
4. How we use information
- Show scores, standings, schedules, and news
- Remember favourites and Settings on this device
- Answer Ask Scout questions (if you use it)
- Update Lock Screen scores and banners (if you Allow notifications)
- Keep the app working and respond to support email
We do not use children’s data to target ads. ScoreKids is ad-free.
5. How we share information
We do not sell personal information. We do not share data with data brokers for advertising.
| Who | What they see | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Vercel | Ordinary website/app request logs | Hosting |
| Upstash | Lock Screen device id, team ids, APNs tokens | Closed-app scores |
| Apple | APNs tokens and push payloads (scores / start banners) | Deliver notifications you Allowed |
| xAI | Ask Scout question text (and our own news drafts) | Scout answers; our kid-safe news |
| Sports data providers | Requests for games and teams — not a kid’s name or email | Scores and standings |
| Law / safety | Only if required | Legal duty |
| Business transfer | If ScoreKids is ever acquired, with continued protections | Notice where required |
Email we receive at scorekidsapp@gmail.com is stored in that inbox long enough to help you.
6. Parental rights (COPPA-minded)
Parents and guardians can:
- Use scores with no account
- Turn Ask Scout, Binder, and alerts off in Settings (a short parent gate)
- Refuse an optional display name
- Email us to ask what we store or to delete server-side data we control (for example leftover Lock Screen tokens)
- Contact us at scorekidsapp@gmail.com
The Settings math gate is a speed bump so a child cannot flip parent controls alone. It is not a government ID check.
If you believe a child sent us information without permission, email us and we will help remove what we can.
7. Security and retention
- Favourites and binder default to this device
- We use reputable hosts and limit who can touch production
- On-device data lasts until you clear it or uninstall
- Lock Screen tokens last while notifications are in use; we stop using them when the app is deleted or you ask
- Support emails last long enough to answer you
- Server logs last only as long as needed to run and secure the app
No method is 100% secure. Use a device passcode and parental controls on shared phones.
8. Children’s privacy summary
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Do you sell my child’s data? | No. |
| Are there ads? | No. |
| Do you need my child’s email? | No. |
| Do scores need a login? | No. |
| Where are favourites saved? | On this device today. |
| What does Ask Scout send? | The question, to xAI. Parents can turn Scout off. |
| What does the iPhone send? | Anonymous device id, team ids, push tokens — so Lock Screen scores can move. |
| Can I email you? | Yes — scorekidsapp@gmail.com |
9. Changes
We will update the date at the top when this policy changes. For bigger changes (optional email backup, or payments), we will say so in the app when we can.
10. Contact
Email: scorekidsapp@gmail.com Product: ScoreKids — kid-safe live sports scores for families