Meta prohibits users under 13 from using its services and claims to delete data from children under 13 if discovered, but relies primarily on user-provided birth dates for age verification.
Children under 13 who access Meta's platforms — despite age restrictions — may have their personal data collected and used for advertising, with the only verification being a self-reported birth date that is easily falsified.
Cross-platform context
See how other platforms handle Children's Privacy and Age Verification and similar clauses.
Compare across platforms →Self-reported age verification is widely recognized as inadequate to prevent minors from accessing Meta's platforms, creating COPPA compliance risk and exposing children to data collection and behavioral advertising.
REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: COPPA 15 U.S.C. §6501 et seq. requires verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13, enforced by the FTC (16 CFR Part 312). The FTC's 2022 policy statement clarified that COPPA applies to platforms that have 'actual knowledge' of child users regardless of stated age restrictions. GDPR Art. 8 sets the age of digital consent at 16 (or lower where member states specify, minimum 13) and requires verifiable parental consent below that threshold. UK GDPR and Age Appropriate Design Code (Children's Code, ICO) impose heightened obligations. EU Regulation 2022/2065 (Digital Services Act) Art. 28 prohibits targeted advertising to minors. Enforcement: FTC, EU national DPAs, Irish DPC, UK ICO.
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