Children under 13 can only use Minecraft with a parent or guardian's permission, managed through Microsoft's Family Safety tools.
This analysis describes what Minecraft'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 provision governs how data from minor users is collected and used, and whether parental consent mechanisms meet regulatory standards under COPPA and equivalent frameworks.
Interpretive note: The exact text of this provision was not directly quoted in the truncated document; the characterization is based on standard Minecraft/Microsoft policy language and contextual references in the document to child accounts and Microsoft Family Safety.
The policy states that child accounts are supervised through Microsoft Family Safety, meaning parents control what data their child shares and what features they can access. Parents who do not configure Family Safety settings may not have full visibility into or control over their child's data.
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YOU MUST BE AND HEREBY AFFIRM THAT YOU ARE AN ADULT OF THE LEGAL AGE OF MAJORITY IN YOUR COUNTRY OR STATE OF RESIDENCE. If you are under the legal age of majority, your parent or legal guardian must consent to this agreement.
The Service is not directed to children under the age of 16. If you are under the age of 16, you may only use the Service with the involvement and consent of a parent or guardian. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with personal information without your...
The Service is not directed to children under the age of 13. If you are under 13 years of age, please do not use or access the Service at any time or in any manner. If we learn that personally identifiable information has been collected on the Service from persons under 13 years of age and without v...
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"If you are under 13 years old (or the applicable age of digital consent in your country), you may only use Minecraft services through a child account supervised by a parent or guardian using Microsoft Family Safety.— Excerpt from Minecraft's Minecraft Privacy Statement
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision directly engages COPPA, enforced by the FTC, which requires verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13 in the United States. It also engages GDPR Article 8 and equivalent national provisions for EU member states setting digital consent ages between 13 and 16. The FTC is the primary enforcement authority in the US; national data protection authorities (such as the ICO in the UK) are relevant for European jurisdictions. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: High. The platform's large under-13 user base creates significant regulatory exposure if the Microsoft Family Safety consent mechanism does not constitute verifiable parental consent under COPPA. The FTC has historically pursued enforcement actions against gaming and entertainment platforms for inadequate child consent mechanisms. JURISDICTION FLAGS: United States (COPPA), EU/EEA member states (GDPR Article 8), United Kingdom (UK GDPR and Age Appropriate Design Code), and South Korea (PIPA child provisions). The UK's Age Appropriate Design Code (Children's Code) creates heightened obligations for services likely accessed by minors, including default privacy settings and data minimization requirements. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Procurement and vendor teams should confirm that Microsoft Family Safety's consent flow has been independently assessed for COPPA compliance, including whether consent is collected before any data collection occurs and whether the method of verification meets FTC standards. Data processing agreements with any third-party analytics or advertising vendors receiving child account data should be reviewed for COPPA-compliant restrictions. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Legal teams should audit the end-to-end parental consent user journey within Microsoft Family Safety, confirm that no personal data from child accounts is shared with advertising or analytics partners without separate COPPA-compliant consent, and evaluate whether the policy's disclosure of child data practices is sufficiently specific to satisfy COPPA's notice requirements.
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This provision governs how data from minor users is collected and used, and whether parental consent mechanisms meet regulatory standards under COPPA and equivalent frameworks.
The policy states that child accounts are supervised through Microsoft Family Safety, meaning parents control what data their child shares and what features they can access. Parents who do not configure Family Safety settings may not have full visibility into or control over their child's data.
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