YOUTH VIDEO PRIVACY · NOVEMBER 5, 2026
A clear choice
before sharing a clip.
New video uploads are paused for privacy review. P MODE is reviewing consent, footage-sharing rights and retention before accepting new clips. This pause does not mean that youth coaching videos are categorically illegal. Existing clips remain available only through their authorized account access; the owner can request removal through the account.
What the law and guidance mean
Canadian privacy law does not impose a general ban on private youth coaching videos. For a commercial Ontario coaching service, PIPEDA generally requires an appropriate purpose, meaningful consent and protection of personal information. Identifiable video can be personal information. Consent alone does not make every use appropriate. Read PIPEDA, sections 4–6.1 and Schedule 1 ↗
The Privacy Commissioner’s Children’s Privacy Code ↗ explains the regulator’s expectations under existing law, including privacy by default and age-appropriate choices. It is guidance, rather than a separate new statute. This page is an explanation of the local pilot’s status, not a certification of legal compliance.
Who manages a young athlete’s account?
This pilot uses an adult parent or legal guardian’s account for athletes under 18. An 18-year-old may manage their own account. Adult account management is a P MODE product rule; it is not a claim that Canadian privacy law sets a universal consent age of 18.
Explain the proposed sharing to the athlete in language they understand and include their choices. The Privacy Commissioner generally expects parent or guardian consent below 13, and meaningful, maturity-appropriate consent for youth capable of consenting themselves. A parent’s checkbox is not a substitute for considering a capable teenager’s privacy choices. Meaningful consent and children ↗
The requested coaching use
Any future clip submission would need a clear choice for private human coaching review: what will be reviewed, who may see it, where it is processed and how long it is needed. Permission for that review is separate from permission for advertising, public highlights, social media or training an AI model. Completing an intake or buying coaching does not give P MODE permission for those unrelated uses.
Automatic video analysis is not active. No uploaded clip is currently sent by this feature to an AI model. Introducing AI clip processing would require a separate assessment and understandable notice before use. A child’s selection, overall playing age, health or nutrition needs should not be decided by an AI-only ranking. Canadian privacy regulators’ AI principles ↗
Other players, voices and recording rights
For any future submission, choose short, relevant footage focused on your athlete. Avoid other identifiable children and adults, private conversations, school details and location information. Do not submit changing-room, washroom or unrelated personal footage. If someone else is identifiable, ask P MODE to review the permission situation before sharing; permission for your child does not authorize every use of another child’s image.
Check the club, event and venue’s recording rules. Being allowed to film from the sideline does not automatically authorize commercial review, cloud storage or AI processing. If a club, videographer or broadcaster supplied the recording, confirm that you have permission for the intended use. Copyright permission and privacy permission are different questions. Government of Canada: copyright ownership ↗
Canada Soccer recognizes that video can support coaching and also calls for safeguarding, consent, storage and retention rules. Its safety guide is sport guidance, not a substitute for privacy law. Canada Soccer Guide to Safety, photography section ↗
Storage and processing outside Canada
The existing clip feature uses private Cloudflare object storage and authenticated streaming. The account owner and the authorized P MODE coach may access the coaching record; the service operator manages the infrastructure. Video files are not additionally encrypted by the application. A private account cannot prevent an authorized viewer from making a separate copy.
P MODE has not verified a Canada-only storage or processing arrangement and does not promise one. Cross-border processing is not categorically prohibited by PIPEDA: the organization remains accountable and must address processor protection and transparency, including possible access under foreign law. The intended processors, locations and terms need review before new youth uploads open. Privacy Commissioner: processing across borders ↗
Changing your mind and removing a clip
You can remove an existing clip through its owning account. If storage cleanup fails, the app reports that removal has not completed and lets you retry. For access, correction, withdrawal of consent or assistance, contact pmodesports@gmail.com. Withdrawal can affect whether video review can continue; any applicable restriction and its consequences must be explained.
No automatic video expiry is implemented in this pilot. Stored clips currently remain until removed by you or the operator. That is a launch-review gap, not a promise of indefinite storage: a documented, purpose-based retention and deletion process must be ready before new uploads are accepted. Published coaching notes, downloaded copies and other separately held records need their own review; removing a clip does not recall copies already made. PIPEDA limits retention to what is necessary; it does not prescribe one universal number of days for every youth coaching video. Schedule 1, clauses 4.3.8 and 4.5 ↗
Keep the adult involved
Young athletes’ coaching communication should include their parent or guardian, and live sessions should follow the applicable club’s safeguarding rules. The Coaching Association of Canada’s Rule of Two is a leading sport practice; it is not a general privacy statute or a reason to record a call without permission. Read the Rule of Two ↗
For the wider account, intake, AI planning, email and Google Sheets practices, read the intake privacy notice. This contact is not monitored for emergencies.