Perplexity says its service is not for children under 13, and it will delete data if it discovers it was collected from a child under that age.
This analysis describes what Perplexity AI'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 is a legal compliance baseline under COPPA but relies primarily on self-reporting and parental monitoring rather than technical age verification, meaning children may still access and interact with the service.
Parents should be aware that Perplexity does not employ active age-gating mechanisms beyond a policy statement, meaning a child under 13 who uses the service may have data collected before any correction can occur.
How other platforms handle this
Our Services are not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without parental consent, we will take steps to delete such information. In some juris...
Our services are not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13 without parental consent. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under the age of 13 without parental consent, we wil...
Our online services are not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will delete that information as quickly as possible.
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"Our services are not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information.— Excerpt from Perplexity AI's Perplexity Privacy Policy
(1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision implicates the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, enforced by the FTC, which requires verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13. A policy-level disclaimer without technical age verification does not fully satisfy COPPA's affirmative obligations, and the FTC has brought enforcement actions against companies that relied solely on terms-of-service age restrictions. (2) GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. The adequacy of age-gating measures is a recurring FTC enforcement priority, particularly for AI-powered consumer services. The absence of described technical controls beyond the policy statement creates compliance exposure if minors are found to be regular users of the service. (3) JURISDICTION FLAGS: COPPA applies federally in the US. The EU's GDPR and the UK Age Appropriate Design Code impose additional obligations for services likely accessed by minors, including default privacy settings calibrated for children's best interests. California's Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, while subject to legal challenge, reflects a similar regulatory direction. (4) CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Operators embedding Perplexity into educational or youth-facing platforms bear additional COPPA compliance obligations and should assess whether deployment in those contexts is appropriate given the absence of described technical age controls. (5) COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Legal teams should evaluate whether current age-screening practices satisfy COPPA and analogous international requirements, and whether the AI search context creates heightened risk given the open-ended nature of queries children might submit.
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This is a legal compliance baseline under COPPA but relies primarily on self-reporting and parental monitoring rather than technical age verification, meaning children may still access and interact with the service.
Parents should be aware that Perplexity does not employ active age-gating mechanisms beyond a policy statement, meaning a child under 13 who uses the service may have data collected before any correction can occur.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 9 platforms. See the full comparison.
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