Developers are prohibited from using Meta's platform to build apps for children under 13 or collect their data, unless Meta has specifically approved the application and the developer complies with child privacy laws.
This analysis describes what Meta'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
This clause establishes Meta's compliance framework for child protection under federal regulatory requirements. It conditions certain uses of the Platform on obtaining prior approval from Meta and adherence to specific statutory obligations, creating a gatekeeping mechanism for child-directed applications.
Parents and guardians of children under 13 should be aware that Meta's platform terms prohibit developers from building child-directed apps on Meta's APIs without special approval, though enforcement depends on Meta's monitoring and the developer's own practices.
How other platforms handle this
Gemini apps aren't available for children under 13. In some countries, Gemini apps may not be available for users who are minors under the law of their country.
Our services are not directed to people under the age of 13, and we don't knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13. If you are under 13, please do not use the services or submit any personal information to us... For users between 13 and 17, we provide additional privacy protection...
Venmo's services are not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, we will take steps to delete such information.
Monitoring
Meta has changed this document before.
Receive same-day alerts, structured change summaries, and monitoring for up to 10 platforms.
"You will not use the Platform or any Platform Data to build products or services directed to children under 13, or knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 through your application, unless your application has received special approval from Meta and you comply with applicable laws, including COPPA.— Excerpt from Meta's Meta Platform Policy
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision directly engages COPPA, which prohibits the collection of personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent, enforced by the FTC. The FTC has brought enforcement actions against developers who failed to implement adequate age screening or who collected children's data without parental consent. EU/EEA developers must also comply with GDPR provisions on children's data, which in many member states set the age threshold at 16 unless member state law specifies a lower age (minimum 13). GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: High for any developer whose application may be accessed by minors or that operates in categories typically associated with children's use, such as gaming, education, or entertainment. The combination of COPPA enforcement risk and Meta's contractual requirement creates dual exposure. JURISDICTION FLAGS: US developers are subject to FTC COPPA enforcement. EU/EEA developers face GDPR Article 8 requirements regarding children's consent, with varying age thresholds across member states. UK developers must comply with the UK Age Appropriate Design Code (Children's Code), which imposes additional obligations for online services likely to be accessed by children. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Developers building apps in categories that may attract child users should implement robust age verification mechanisms and document their assessments of whether their app is child-directed under COPPA's definitions. Legal counsel should review app design, marketing, and user base demographics as part of COPPA compliance analysis. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Developers should conduct COPPA applicability assessments for their applications, implement age gates or verification where appropriate, and maintain documentation of Meta's special approval if their application is designed for children. Privacy policies and parental consent mechanisms should be reviewed by counsel with COPPA expertise.
Full compliance analysis
Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.
Free: track 1 platform + weekly digest. Watcher: 10 platforms + same-day alerts. No credit card required.
Professional Governance Intelligence
Need to monitor specific governance provisions?
Professional includes provision-level monitoring, governance timelines, regulatory mapping, and audit-ready analysis.
Built from archived source documents, structured governance mappings, and historical version tracking.
This clause establishes Meta's compliance framework for child protection under federal regulatory requirements. It conditions certain uses of the Platform on obtaining prior approval from Meta and adherence to specific statutory obligations, creating a gatekeeping mechanism for child-directed applications.
Parents and guardians of children under 13 should be aware that Meta's platform terms prohibit developers from building child-directed apps on Meta's APIs without special approval, though enforcement depends on Meta's monitoring and the developer's own practices.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Meta.