Children under 13 cannot use OpenAI services. Users aged 13 to 17 need parental consent, and parents are responsible for their child's activity.
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
This provision establishes the minimum age requirement and places compliance responsibility on parents for minors aged 13 to 17, which has implications for both COPPA compliance and parental liability for content generated or shared by minors.
Interpretive note: Digital consent age requirements vary across EU member states and may require stricter controls than the 13-year minimum stated in these terms; UK Children's Code applicability depends on whether OpenAI services are assessed as likely to be accessed by minors.
The agreement prohibits use by children under 13 and requires parental or guardian consent and supervision for users aged 13 to 17; parents who grant permission become contractually responsible for their child's use under these terms.
How other platforms handle this
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.
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...
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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"You must be at least 13 years old to use the Services. If you are under 18, you must have your parent or guardian's permission to use the Services. If you are a parent or guardian and you allow your child between the ages of 13 and 17 to use the Services, these Terms apply to you and you are responsible for your child's activity on the Services.— Excerpt from OpenAI's OpenAI Service Terms
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: The age-13 threshold and parental consent requirement engage the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which applies to online services collecting personal data from children under 13; the EU General Data Protection Regulation Article 8 sets the age of digital consent at 16 for EU member states (with member state flexibility to lower to 13), which may create divergence between the document's 13-year threshold and GDPR requirements in certain EU jurisdictions. The UK Age Appropriate Design Code (Children's Code) imposes additional obligations for services likely to be accessed by minors. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: High. The practical enforcement of age restrictions for AI chat services is technically challenging, and failure to adequately verify age or obtain parental consent for minor users creates COPPA enforcement exposure from the FTC. JURISDICTION FLAGS: EU member states that have set digital consent age above 13 (such as Germany at 16) may require stricter controls; the UK Children's Code applies if OpenAI services are likely accessed by users under 18; Illinois and other states with minor-specific privacy statutes may impose additional requirements. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Enterprise and educational customers deploying OpenAI to student populations must assess FERPA and COPPA compliance independently, as the consumer terms' age restriction framework may not be sufficient for institutional contexts. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: OpenAI's age verification and parental consent mechanisms should be assessed for adequacy under COPPA and applicable state and international frameworks; organizations deploying OpenAI to minors should evaluate whether additional safeguards or data processing agreements are required.
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This provision establishes the minimum age requirement and places compliance responsibility on parents for minors aged 13 to 17, which has implications for both COPPA compliance and parental liability for content generated or shared by minors.
The agreement prohibits use by children under 13 and requires parental or guardian consent and supervision for users aged 13 to 17; parents who grant permission become contractually responsible for their child's use under these terms.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 4 platforms. See the full comparison.
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