The policy prohibits advertisers from directing ads to users under 18 years of age, with stricter age thresholds applying to specific restricted categories such as alcohol and gambling depending on applicable jurisdiction.
This analysis describes what Pinterest Ads'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 age-based targeting restrictions that require advertisers to configure audience parameters in compliance with both Pinterest's policy thresholds and jurisdiction-specific legal minimums, creating a layered compliance obligation.
Interpretive note: The EU DSA's prohibition on profiling-based advertising directed at minors may impose stricter requirements than the policy's stated age thresholds, and the interaction between Pinterest's ad-system controls and these regulatory requirements is not addressed in the document.
Under this clause, advertisers must exclude users under 18 from ad targeting audiences, and must apply higher age thresholds for certain restricted categories; failure to configure targeting accordingly results in ad disapproval or account enforcement.
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"Advertisers may not target ads to users under the age of 18. Ads for certain products and services, including alcohol, gambling, and adult content, are prohibited from targeting users under 21 where required by applicable law.— Excerpt from Pinterest Ads's Pinterest Advertising Guidelines
(1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act) prohibits collecting personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent and is enforced by the FTC. For users aged 13-17, the FTC's guidance on teen-directed advertising and GDPR Article 8 in the EU impose additional restrictions. The EU's Digital Services Act includes specific protections prohibiting targeted advertising to minors based on profiling, which may restrict Pinterest's ad targeting capabilities for EU users under 18 beyond what the policy describes. (2) GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: High for advertisers in categories with specific age restrictions. Advertisers who misconfigure audience targeting to include minors in restricted-category campaigns face both platform enforcement and potential regulatory liability under COPPA, state-level minors' privacy laws including California's AADC, and EU DSA provisions. (3) JURISDICTION FLAGS: California's Age-Appropriate Design Code (AB 2273) imposes requirements on platforms and may affect how targeting parameters for minors are configured. Illinois, Texas, and other states with minors' privacy legislation create additional exposure. EU DSA Article 28 prohibits profiling-based advertising directed at minors, which may apply to Pinterest's ad systems in the EEA regardless of advertiser configuration. (4) CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Agencies managing campaigns with broad audience targeting should audit audience configuration to confirm under-18 exclusions are active, particularly for restricted category campaigns. Contracts with clients in alcohol, gambling, and adult content verticals should explicitly allocate responsibility for age-gating compliance. (5) COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Compliance teams should verify that Pinterest's ad platform audience controls technically enforce the policy's age restrictions and document the configuration as part of campaign governance records. Teams in jurisdictions with enhanced minors' privacy protections should assess whether Pinterest's targeting system meets local requirements independently of the policy's stated restrictions.
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This provision establishes age-based targeting restrictions that require advertisers to configure audience parameters in compliance with both Pinterest's policy thresholds and jurisdiction-specific legal minimums, creating a layered compliance obligation.
Under this clause, advertisers must exclude users under 18 from ad targeting audiences, and must apply higher age thresholds for certain restricted categories; failure to configure targeting accordingly results in ad disapproval or account enforcement.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 1 platforms. See the full comparison.
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