Microsoft · Microsoft Privacy Statement (Legacy)

Children's Data and Parental Consent

High severity
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What it is

When a child under 13 creates a Microsoft account, Microsoft requires a parent or guardian to provide consent for the collection and use of their child's personal data. For children between 13 and 18, Microsoft complies with applicable laws and parental consent requirements. Microsoft Family Safety features allow parents to manage their children's data and privacy settings.

Why it matters

If a child in your household uses Xbox, Minecraft, or a family Microsoft account, their gaming behaviour, location, voice chat, and usage data may be collected, and parents need to actively manage family safety settings to limit this collection.

Consumer impact

Microsoft collects a wide range of personal data — including location, voice recordings, search queries, browsing history, and content you create — across all its products and uses this data for advertising personalisation, AI training, and product improvement. Users with a Microsoft account have rights to access, correct, delete, and export their data, and can opt out of interest-based advertising, but many data uses are bundled under broad legitimate interest or contractual necessity grounds that cannot be individually declined. You can review, download, and delete your personal data, and adjust advertising and diagnostic data settings, by visiting the Microsoft Privacy Dashboard at account.microsoft.com/privacy.

What you can do

⚠️ These actions may provide transparency or partial mitigation but may not fully address the underlying issue. Effectiveness varies by jurisdiction and individual circumstances.
  • Delete Your Data
    Sign in to your Microsoft account, visit account.microsoft.com/family, set up or manage your child's account under Microsoft Family Safety, configure privacy settings, and review what data has been collected about your child.

Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC enforces COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act) and has authority over collection of personal data from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent.
    File a complaint →

Provision details

Document information
Document
Microsoft Privacy Statement (Legacy)
Entity
Microsoft
Document last updated
March 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
April 1, 2026
Last verified
April 4, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-002057
Document ID
CA-D-00001
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
SHA-256
53438792c608fb8300a22a50aa22e6de5e810a38ca3fbef41d76b85849529496
Verified
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Change verified
How to Cite
ConductAtlas Policy Archive
Entity: Microsoft | Document: Microsoft Privacy Statement (Legacy) | Record: CA-P-002057
Captured: 2026-04-01 13:59:02 UTC | SHA-256: 53438792c608fb83…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/microsoft/microsoft-privacy-statement-legacy/childrens-data-and-parental-consent/
Accessed: April 4, 2026
Classification
Severity
High
Categories

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