OpenAI · OpenAI Privacy Policy · View original document ↗

Children's Privacy — Age Restriction

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Document Record

What it is

OpenAI's services are not meant for children under 13, and OpenAI says it will delete data from children under 13 if discovered, but the policy relies on self-reported age rather than technical verification.

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 reflects OpenAI's compliance framework under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and establishes the operational process by which the company addresses unauthorized collection of data from minors under 13. It creates a mechanism for parental notification and remediation of potential age-restricted access.

Recent Activity

This document changed recently

Medium Jun 12, 2026

The updated policy removes language describing how OpenAI uses advertiser and data partner information to personalize ads and measure ad effectiveness. The policy also removes the specific mechanism Free and Go users previously had to control ad personalization through account settings. In exchange, the policy adds explicit authorization for OpenAI to identify which of a user's contacts use OpenAI services and to monitor all content submitted on the platform for fraud and misuse detection. The authorization to monitor content and identify contacts now appears in the main policy purposes section rather than in supplementary documentation. You can review the Korea Addendum if you are located in South Korea to understand region-specific privacy rules.

View change record →
Medium Jun 9, 2026

The updated policy removes language that previously described ad personalization controls available to Free and Go users through account settings, though the policy continues to authorize OpenAI to personalize ads and measure their effectiveness for these user tiers. Previously, the policy explicitly stated that 'For Free and Go users, you can use the advertising controls in your account settings to control what data we use to personalize the ads we show you on our Services.' This language is no longer present in the updated version. The policy still lists ad personalization as an authorized use of personal data for Free and Go users, but no longer explicitly describes how users can access controls to manage this practice. You should verify whether advertising controls remain functional in your OpenAI account settings, as the policy no longer explicitly references them.

View change record →
Medium May 27, 2026

The updated policy removes specific language stating that OpenAI receives advertiser data to personalize ads shown to Free and Go users. It also removes reference to account-level advertising controls previously described in account settings. These removals are replaced with broader language authorizing OpenAI to promote products through direct marketing and third-party properties, subject to choices and controls, but the terms no longer explicitly describe what advertiser data is collected, from whom, or how to manage it at the account level. The policy now requires users to follow a 'learn more' link to understand ad personalization controls, rather than documenting those controls directly in the privacy policy.

View change record →

Clause Stability Stable

0
Changes
3
Months Monitored
Apr 10, 2026
First Seen
Apr 10, 2026
Last Seen
This clause type exists across 3350 other provisions on other platforms.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Children under 13 are technically prohibited from using OpenAI's services, but the lack of age verification means minors may use ChatGPT and have their personal data collected and potentially used for AI training before any corrective action is taken.

How other platforms handle this

Yelp Medium

The Service is intended for general audiences and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child under the age of 13 has provided us with personal information without your cons...

Medium Medium

Our Services are not directed to children under 13. If you learn that anyone younger than 13 has unlawfully provided us with personal data, please contact us at privacy@medium.com.

Redfin Medium

To access and use the Services, you must be at least the age of majority in the state, province, or territory where you live or at least 18 years of age. If you are under the age of 13, you may not use the Services and you should not be visiting the Sites or using the Services.

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
Our Services are not directed to children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided personal information to OpenAI without your consent, please contact us at privacy@openai.com. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without parental consent, we will delete that information as quickly as possible.

— Excerpt from OpenAI's OpenAI Privacy Policy

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (Compliance & governance intelligence)

(1) REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act), 15 U.S.C. §§6501-6506 and 16 C.F.R. Part 312, prohibits collection of personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. FTC enforcement authority. EU GDPR Art. 8 sets the age of digital consent at 16 (or lower as set by member states, minimum 13). UK Age Appropriate Design Code (Children's Code) imposes additional design obligations. (2)

Full compliance analysis

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

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Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC is the primary enforcement authority for COPPA violations involving collection of children's personal data without verifiable parental consent.
    File a complaint →
  • Doe
    If ChatGPT is used in educational settings involving student records, FERPA (20 U.S.C. §1232g) obligations arise, with DOE oversight.
    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 Privacy Policy
Entity
OpenAI
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
March 6, 2026
Last verified
April 10, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-002668
Document ID
CA-D-00010
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
90ad72975ac0d9d86d724561a29d464c061ec09345abf2fde0eccd43d6205bcf
Analysis generated
March 6, 2026 20:23 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: OpenAI
Document: OpenAI Privacy Policy
Record ID: CA-P-002668
Captured: 2026-03-06 20:23:45 UTC
SHA-256: 90ad72975ac0d9d8…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/openai/openai-privacy-policy/childrens-privacy-age-restriction/
Accessed: June 15, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
High
Categories

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does OpenAI's Children's Privacy — Age Restriction clause do?

This provision reflects OpenAI's compliance framework under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and establishes the operational process by which the company addresses unauthorized collection of data from minors under 13. It creates a mechanism for parental notification and remediation of potential age-restricted access.

How does this clause affect you?

Children under 13 are technically prohibited from using OpenAI's services, but the lack of age verification means minors may use ChatGPT and have their personal data collected and potentially used for AI training before any corrective action is taken.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with OpenAI?

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