Garmin states its services are not intended for children under 13 and will delete data collected from children under 13 if discovered, though it also sells products marketed for family and youth use.
This analysis describes what Garmin's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
Garmin sells products such as junior GPS watches and family tracking devices that may be used by children, creating a practical tension between the stated policy exclusion of under-13 users and the product reality; parents should be aware that COPPA protections apply but depend on Garmin becoming aware of a child's use.
Interpretive note: The practical application of this provision depends on whether Garmin's youth-marketed products are considered directed at children under FTC COPPA analysis, which is not resolved by the policy text alone.
Parents who purchase Garmin devices for children under 13 should be aware that the privacy policy excludes this age group, meaning special COPPA protections only activate if Garmin becomes aware of the child's age; parents should monitor account registration and consider whether verifiable parental consent has been properly obtained.
How other platforms handle this
The Service is intended for general audiences and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child under the age of 13 has provided us with personal information without your cons...
enableGpcSdk: true, gpcSetting: { privacyPolicyLink: '/Privacy-Security-Policy-a-282.html' }
We process Global Privacy Control signals as opt-out requests for the sale or sharing of personal information.
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"Our products and services are not directed at children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. If we become aware that we have collected personal data from a child under 13 without parental consent, we will take steps to delete the data.— Excerpt from Garmin's Garmin Privacy Statement
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13 in the U.S. The FTC is the primary COPPA enforcement authority. The policy's statement that services are not directed at children under 13 is a standard COPPA compliance approach, but if Garmin markets products specifically for children (such as junior fitness trackers), the FTC may consider those products directed at children triggering full COPPA obligations regardless of the policy's general exclusion language. GDPR Article 8 sets the digital age of consent at 16 in the EU by default (though member states can lower it to 13), affecting how Garmin should handle data for young users in EU jurisdictions. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. If any Garmin products are marketed to or reasonably anticipated to be used by children under 13, the FTC's mixed-audience website analysis may treat those products as directed at children, triggering COPPA requirements including verifiable parental consent mechanisms. Garmin's family tracking and junior device product lines should be assessed against this standard. JURISDICTION FLAGS: U.S. COPPA applies federally. EU member states have varying digital age of consent thresholds between 13 and 16. The UK's Age Appropriate Design Code (Children's Code) imposes additional obligations for services likely to be accessed by children, including default high privacy settings. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: If Garmin uses third-party service providers to process any data from users who may be minors, those providers must be assessed for COPPA compliance and appropriate contractual restrictions should be in place. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Legal and product teams should conduct a COPPA-directed-at-children assessment for any Garmin product line or app feature that may be used by under-13 users, including family tracking features. Verifiable parental consent mechanisms should be implemented where required. Age gate mechanisms at account registration should be audited for effectiveness.
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Garmin sells products such as junior GPS watches and family tracking devices that may be used by children, creating a practical tension between the stated policy exclusion of under-13 users and the product reality; parents should be aware that COPPA protections apply but depend on Garmin becoming aware of a child's use.
Parents who purchase Garmin devices for children under 13 should be aware that the privacy policy excludes this age group, meaning special COPPA protections only activate if Garmin becomes aware of the child's age; parents should monitor account registration and consider whether verifiable parental consent has been properly obtained.
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