You must be at least 13 to use Snapchat, and users under 18 must have a parent or guardian agree to the terms on their behalf. Accounts found to belong to users under 13 will be closed.
This analysis describes what Snapchat'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
The agreement establishes a minimum age of 13 and requires parental consent for users under 18, engaging COPPA obligations for US users and equivalent child protection regulations in other jurisdictions.
Children under 13 are prohibited from using Snapchat, and the terms state their accounts will be closed if discovered; users aged 13-17 are required to have parental or guardian consent, which has implications for how minor users' data is collected and processed.
How other platforms handle this
By using Pinterest, you state that: you are at least 13 years old and you are old enough to legally consent to use Pinterest in your country. If we learn that we've collected the personal information of a child under the age of 13 without parental consent, we will take steps to delete the informatio...
YOU MUST BE AND HEREBY AFFIRM THAT YOU ARE AN ADULT OF THE LEGAL AGE OF MAJORITY IN YOUR COUNTRY OR STATE OF RESIDENCE. If you are under the legal age of majority, your parent or legal guardian must consent to this agreement.
The Service is not directed to children under the age of 16. If you are under the age of 16, you may only use the Service with the involvement and consent of a parent or guardian. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with personal information without your...
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"The Services are not directed to children under the age of 13, and you must be 13 years of age or older to create an account and use the Services. If we discover or have reason to believe that you are under the age of 13, we will close your account. If you are under the age of 18, you represent that your parent or legal guardian has reviewed and agreed to these Terms on your behalf.— Excerpt from Snapchat's Snap Terms of Service
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision directly engages the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), enforced by the FTC, which requires verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13. The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Article 8 sets the age of digital consent at 16 (with member states permitted to lower it to 13), and the UK's Age Appropriate Design Code (Children's Code) imposes additional obligations for services likely to be accessed by minors. The California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act (CAADCA) imposes further obligations for California-based minor users. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: High. The reliance on user self-attestation for age verification, without described technical verification mechanisms, creates COPPA compliance exposure. The FTC has pursued enforcement actions against platforms that rely on self-reported age data without additional verification safeguards. The representation that users under 18 have parental consent is asserted contractually but may not constitute verifiable parental consent under COPPA. JURISDICTION FLAGS: US users under 13 trigger COPPA obligations. EU/EEA users between 13 and 16 (or the applicable national age) require parental consent under GDPR Article 8. UK users are subject to the ICO's Children's Code. California minor users engage the CAADCA. States including Texas and Florida have enacted or proposed stricter age verification requirements for social media platforms that may apply to Snapchat. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Organizations that deploy Snapchat in educational or youth-oriented settings should verify that their use case is consistent with COPPA and applicable state minor protection laws, and should not rely solely on Snapchat's terms to satisfy their own age verification obligations. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Compliance teams should review whether the platform's age verification mechanism (self-attestation at account creation) satisfies COPPA's verifiable parental consent standard for the 13-under population, and whether the parental consent representation for 13-17 users is operationally verifiable. Data mapping for minor users' personal information should be reviewed for COPPA-specific retention and deletion obligations.
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The agreement establishes a minimum age of 13 and requires parental consent for users under 18, engaging COPPA obligations for US users and equivalent child protection regulations in other jurisdictions.
Children under 13 are prohibited from using Snapchat, and the terms state their accounts will be closed if discovered; users aged 13-17 are required to have parental or guardian consent, which has implications for how minor users' data is collected and processed.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 2 platforms. See the full comparison.
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