Pinterest prohibits users under 13 from using the service and states it does not intentionally collect data from children under 13; parents can contact Pinterest if they believe their child is using the platform.
This analysis describes what Pinterest'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 Pinterest's stated COPPA compliance position; parents or guardians who discover a child under 13 has created an account should contact Pinterest to request account removal and data deletion.
Children under 13 are prohibited from using Pinterest, and the terms state that Pinterest will delete personal information collected from users identified as under 13; parents can contact Pinterest to report underage accounts.
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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"Pinterest is 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 of a child under 13, we will take steps to delete such information as quickly as possible. If you are under the age of 13, do not use Pinterest. If you are a parent or guardian and you believe your child under 13 is using Pinterest, please contact us.— Excerpt from Pinterest's Pinterest Terms of Service
1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision directly engages the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), enforced by the FTC in the US, which prohibits collection of personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. The EU General Data Protection Regulation sets the digital consent age at 16 (or lower, as set by member states, with a minimum of 13), and the provision does not explicitly address this distinct EU age threshold. The UK Age Appropriate Design Code (Children's Code) may also apply to Pinterest's services accessible to UK minors. 2) GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. The terms state a prohibition and a reactive deletion process but do not describe active age verification mechanisms. Regulators, including the FTC under COPPA, have scrutinized whether platform-side age verification practices are sufficient to support 'no actual knowledge' defenses. The absence of described proactive verification mechanisms is a standard industry practice but may be an area of regulatory scrutiny. 3) JURISDICTION FLAGS: US COPPA obligations apply to under-13 users. EEA users face GDPR age of consent provisions (typically 13-16 depending on member state). UK minor users are subject to the ICO's Children's Code, which imposes additional design and data minimization obligations. Schools and educational institutions deploying Pinterest face FERPA and COPPA compliance considerations. 4) CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Educational institutions or organizations with youth-facing programs that integrate Pinterest should conduct COPPA and FERPA compliance assessments before deployment. Pinterest's reactive rather than proactive age verification approach should be factored into institutional risk assessments. 5) COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Compliance teams should review whether Pinterest's stated deletion process for under-13 accounts is documented and auditable. For EU deployments, the GDPR age of consent threshold (which may be 13-16 depending on member state) should be mapped against Pinterest's under-13 prohibition. The UK Children's Code should be assessed for any UK-facing deployments targeting younger audiences.
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This provision establishes Pinterest's stated COPPA compliance position; parents or guardians who discover a child under 13 has created an account should contact Pinterest to request account removal and data deletion.
Children under 13 are prohibited from using Pinterest, and the terms state that Pinterest will delete personal information collected from users identified as under 13; parents can contact Pinterest to report underage accounts.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Pinterest.