You need to be at least 13 to use Signal, and in some countries the minimum age is even higher — but Signal does not appear to verify users' ages.
Children under 13 (or under 16 in some EU countries) are not supposed to use Signal, but there is no described mechanism to verify or enforce this — parents should be aware that minors may be able to register using any phone number.
Cross-platform context
See how other platforms handle Minimum Age Requirement (COPPA) and similar clauses.
Compare across platforms →The absence of any age verification mechanism means Signal cannot meaningfully enforce its minimum age requirement, creating potential COPPA and EU GDPR Article 8 compliance exposure for users under 13 or 16 respectively.
(1) REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: COPPA (16 CFR Part 312, FTC enforcement) prohibits collection of personal data from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. GDPR Art. 8 requires parental consent for children under 16 (member states may lower to 13) for consent-based processing. UK Age Appropriate Design Code (Children's Code, ICO) applies to services likely to be accessed by children under 18 and requires age-appropriate privacy defaults. California's AADC (Cal. AB 2273) imposes similar requirements for services likely accessed by minors. (2)
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Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.
Watcher: regulatory citations. Professional: full compliance memo.