Age Suitability and Protection of Minors

This document explains who SecondBook is intended for, what content is allowed in the catalogue, how age-based access restrictions work, and what protections apply to minors. It supplements the Terms of Service, the Privacy Policy and the Safety Rules.

1. Who the service is for

1.1. Minimum age

SecondBook is not intended for children under 14 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children below that age. If you become aware that a child under 14 has created an account, tell us and we will delete it along with the associated data.

Users aged 14 to 18 use the Service with the consent of a parent or other legal guardian.

1.2. Age required to transact

The minimum age to use the Service and the age required to transact on your own are two separate requirements.

To buy, sell or exchange a book on your own you must have full legal capacity under the laws of your country (as a general rule, from age 18). Without it, a transaction is made with your legal guardian's consent. SecondBook is not a party to transactions between users, does not process payments and does not hold funds — settlement happens directly between people.

1.3. This is not a children's app

SecondBook is a general-purpose book service. The catalogue includes fiction and non-fiction for an adult audience: military history, crime novels, thrillers, horror, erotica and other genres. Such books are allowed provided they carry the correct age label (see section 2). The app does not belong to the "Kids" category and was not built as a children's product.

2. Age labels on books

Every book listing may carry an age label. We use six levels:

The label is chosen by the book's owner when the listing is created. It is checked during moderation: if the content is plainly aimed at an older audience while the label is too low or missing, the listing is returned for correction with a request to set the right level. A properly labelled 18+ book is a normal, permitted listing, not a violation.

3. How access restriction works

3.1. What it is based on

Access to every labelled book is determined by the date of birth the user has entered in their profile settings. The book is shown when the user's whole age is at least the numeric threshold on its label.

Without a date of birth, books labelled 16+, 18+ and 21+ are not shown. This is the default state: a new account sees only 0+, 6+ and 12+ books, plus books that have not yet been assigned a label.

3.2. Where the restriction applies

The restriction is not limited to the catalogue listing. It applies across every surface where a book could be shown or obtained:

• the catalogue and the home-screen collections;
• search and filters;
• the book page, including when opened through a direct link;
• covers, book photos and files;
• attachments and book cards inside chat, including real-time messages;
• purchase, gifting, exchange and lending;
• reviews and ratings;
• the activity feed of the people you follow;
• push notifications and their contents;
• author and bookshop-partner pages.

3.3. The restriction is enforced on the server

The check runs on the server, not in the app's interface. This means the restriction behaves identically in the mobile app, in the web version and when our API is called directly, and it cannot be bypassed by using a different client.

In addition, a user known to be a minor cannot complete a transaction or receive as a gift a book that has not yet been assigned an age label.

4. What is prohibited outright

Regardless of age labels or the user's age, the following must not be published on the Platform:

• pornographic content;
• any material that sexualises minors;
• incitement to extremism, terrorism or violence;
• incitement of ethnic, religious or social hatred;
• promotion of narcotic and psychotropic substances;
• offers to sell drugs, weapons, forged documents, organs or other prohibited goods;
• counterfeit and pirated editions;
• material prohibited by the laws of the user's country or the operator's country.

Note the distinction: a book about war, crime or addiction is a legitimate subject of literature and is allowed with the correct label. A listing that offers a prohibited item or promotes it is not.

5. Moderation before publication

5.1. What is checked

A listing does not reach the public catalogue until it has been reviewed. The review covers:

• the title and author name;
• the description;
• the cover and book photos;
• genres and other book details;
• whether the declared age label matches the content.

As a result, the listing is published, returned to its owner for correction with a stated reason, rejected, or escalated to a staff member. Adding a new photo or file to an already published book returns it for re-review.

5.2. What the review does not cover

6. Communication between users

Additional restrictions apply to messages:

• Links. Messages may only carry links to a limited list of well-known resources and to the service's own site. A link to an outside site — including URL shorteners and adult resources — is not delivered: the whole message is rejected at send time.
• Prohibited subjects. Messages are screened for signs of offering prohibited goods and services; such a message is not delivered and the case is recorded for review.
• Hostility and harassment. Conversations between users are screened for pronounced hostility and threats.
• Attachments. Images, voice messages and video are limited by file type, size and duration.
• Books in chat. A book card sent into a conversation obeys the same age restrictions as the catalogue.

7. How to report

You can report a book, a review, a user profile, an individual message, an entire conversation, an author profile, a bookshop partner and a podcast.

Available reasons: spam; harassment and bullying; prohibited content; impersonation; fraud; copyright infringement; other. You may attach a screenshot and a description.

The report enters a review queue. On a confirmed report the book is taken down and measures are applied to the offender, up to blocking the account. For copyright complaints see the separate DMCA Policy.

8. How to block a user

Any user can be blocked from their profile or from a conversation. Blocking is enforced on the server, not merely hiding the person in the interface: a blocked user cannot message you or start a new conversation, and their listings and reviews disappear from your feed and screens. Blocking works both ways — you also stop seeing content from someone who blocked you.

9. What the app does not have

We think it matters to name the missing capabilities plainly, so you do not rely on protection that is not there:

• No in-app parental controls. We do not offer child profiles, a parental PIN, usage-time limits or a separate parental dashboard.
• No document-based age verification. Age is stated by the user and is not confirmed by a document or automated estimation.
• No separate children's mode. There is one catalogue for everyone; only content availability differs, by age label.

10. Guidance for parents

If a teenager aged 14 to 18 uses the service:

• fill in the date of birth in the profile together with them — without it the age filter cannot account for their age, though adult content will not be shown either;
• use the device operating system's built-in parental controls to restrict app installation, purchases and screen time;
• agree on safe-transaction rules: meet in a public place, never pay strangers in advance, do not share personal data;
• explain how to use reporting and blocking;
• remind them that settlement happens directly between people and the service does not guarantee it.

Further guidance is in the Safety Rules, section "Safety for Minors".

11. Changes to this document

When this document changes, the version number and date at the top of the page are updated. If the changes materially affect your rights, we will notify you inside the app.