OpenAI · OpenAI Business Terms · View original document ↗

Age Restrictions and Parental Consent

Medium severity High confidence Explicitdocumentlanguage Rare · 6 of 343 platforms
Share 𝕏 Share in Share 🔒 PDF
Recent governance activity OpenAI recorded 26 documented changes in the last 30 days.
Start monitoring updates
Monitor governance changes for OpenAI Create a free account to receive the weekly governance digest and monitor one platform for governance changes.
Create free account No credit card required.
Document Record

What it is

The agreement prohibits use by anyone under 13 and requires parental or guardian consent for users between the ages of 13 and 17.

This analysis describes what OpenAI'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

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

This provision establishes minimum age eligibility for all OpenAI services and imposes a parental consent requirement for minors between 13 and 17. The provision creates compliance obligations for operators deploying OpenAI services in contexts where minors may be users.

Change history

modified May 26, 2026

Removed the third sentence holding parents/guardians liable for their child's activity on the Services, significantly reducing parental responsibility provisions.

View full change record →

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Under these terms, users under 13 are not permitted to create accounts or use the services. Users aged 13 to 17 are permitted to use the services only with documented parental or guardian permission.

How other platforms handle this

Revolut Medium

If you do not have a social security number you may still be eligible to open a limited Revolut personal account. Depending on your immigration status, we may ask you to provide us with a copy of your supported U.S. visa and may limit your access to certain products and features.

Twilio Medium

TrustArcWrapper.withTrustArc(analytics, { alwaysLoadSegment: true }).load(segmentKey, cookieConfig);

Threads Medium

You must be at least 13 years old (or the minimum age required in your country) to use Threads. If you are under 18, you must have your parent or legal guardian's permission to use Threads.

See all platforms with this clause type →

Monitoring

OpenAI has changed this document before.

Receive same-day alerts, structured change summaries, and monitoring for up to 25 platforms.

Start Monitor free trial Or create a free account →
▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
You must be at least 13 years old to use our Services. If you are under 18, you must have your parent or guardian's permission to use our Services.

— Excerpt from OpenAI's OpenAI Business Terms

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (Compliance & governance intelligence)

(1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision directly implicates the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which restricts collection of personal data from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. For EU/EEA deployments, GDPR Article 8 sets the age of digital consent at 16 (or as low as 13 where member states have set a lower threshold). The UK Age Appropriate Design Code (Children's Code) may apply to services likely accessed by minors. Relevant enforcement authorities include the FTC (COPPA), EU national data protection authorities (GDPR Article 8), and the UK ICO. (2) GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: High for operators deploying OpenAI in consumer-facing or educational contexts where minors may access the platform. The agreement places responsibility on users and operators to enforce age restrictions, but does not specify technical age verification mechanisms. (3) JURISDICTION FLAGS: The EU/EEA, UK, and US present the highest regulatory exposure for age-related compliance. State-level children's privacy laws in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, and others may impose additional requirements on operators. (4) CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Operators building applications on OpenAI's API for general consumer audiences should assess whether their own age verification and parental consent mechanisms are adequate to satisfy COPPA, GDPR Article 8, and applicable state laws. The agreement does not specify what parental consent mechanism satisfies the requirement. (5) COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Operators should review their age gate and consent collection workflows, ensure that personal data of users under 13 is not transmitted to OpenAI's API, and assess whether their privacy notices accurately describe data practices for minor users. Educational institutions using OpenAI services should evaluate FERPA and COPPA obligations separately.

Full compliance analysis

Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.

Track 1 platform — free Try Monitor free for 14 days

Free: track 1 platform + weekly digest. Monitor: 25 platforms + same-day alerts. No credit card required.

Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC enforces COPPA, which governs collection of personal data from children under 13 and is directly implicated by this age restriction provision.
    File a complaint →

Applicable regulations

EU AI Act
European Union
BIPA
Illinois, USA
CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
Colorado AI Act
US-CO
Connecticut Data Privacy Act Amendments
US-CT
CAN-SPAM
United States Federal
EU AI Act - High Risk Provisions
EU
FTC Act Section 5
United States Federal
GDPR
European Union
Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act
US-IN
Kentucky Consumer Data Protection Act
US-KY
UK GDPR
United Kingdom
Universal Opt-Out Mechanism Expansion 2026
US

Provision details

Document information
Document
OpenAI Business Terms
Entity
OpenAI
Document last updated
May 11, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
May 21, 2026
Last verified
May 21, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-012678
Document ID
CA-D-00755
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
6bcccb90a775c54c7b7d211635409fb466dbe6ee712be486b3d17f2120003b35
Analysis generated
May 21, 2026 00:13 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: OpenAI
Document: OpenAI Business Terms
Record ID: CA-P-012678
Captured: 2026-05-21 00:13:45 UTC
SHA-256: 6bcccb90a775c54c…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/openai/openai-business-terms/age-restrictions-and-parental-consent/
Accessed: June 8, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

Other risks in this policy

Compliance Governance Intelligence

Need to monitor specific governance provisions?

Compliance includes provision-level monitoring, governance timelines, regulatory mapping, and audit-ready analysis.

Arbitration clauses AI governance Data rights Indemnification Retention policies
Start Compliance free trial

Or start with Monitor →

Built from archived source documents, structured governance mappings, and historical version tracking.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does OpenAI's Age Restrictions and Parental Consent clause do?

This provision establishes minimum age eligibility for all OpenAI services and imposes a parental consent requirement for minors between 13 and 17. The provision creates compliance obligations for operators deploying OpenAI services in contexts where minors may be users.

How does this clause affect you?

Under these terms, users under 13 are not permitted to create accounts or use the services. Users aged 13 to 17 are permitted to use the services only with documented parental or guardian permission.

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 6 platforms. See the full comparison.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with OpenAI?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by OpenAI.