PlayStation collects date of birth during account creation, which is used to identify minor users and apply child account restrictions, including parental consent requirements for users under 13 in the United States.
This analysis describes what Sony PlayStation'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 collection of date of birth to gate child accounts is the mechanism through which COPPA compliance is implemented; if this process fails to accurately identify or appropriately restrict data collection for users under 13, it creates material regulatory exposure.
Interpretive note: The policy describes date of birth collection and references child account controls but does not detail the specific parental consent verification mechanism used for users under 13, making it difficult to assess COPPA compliance from the policy text alone.
Parents of children under 13 should ensure their child's PlayStation account is correctly registered as a child account under a Family Management setup, as this determines what data is collected from the child and what parental consent mechanisms apply.
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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...
The Service is not directed to children under the age of 13. If you are under 13 years of age, please do not use or access the Service at any time or in any manner. If we learn that personally identifiable information has been collected on the Service from persons under 13 years of age and without v...
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"Registration or account for PlayStation ('Account') Creation Processes, where we ask you to provide information such as: Contact info (e.g. name, email or physical address, country, or phone number); Account Administration Info (e.g. user name, password, or security questions); Billing Information (e.g. credit card or other payment number, billing address); Date of Birth; and Profile Info (e.g. profile photo, languages, likes).— Excerpt from Sony PlayStation's PlayStation Privacy Policy
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision directly engages the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, which prohibits the collection of personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent, enforced by the FTC. The FTC has historically scrutinized gaming platforms and online services for COPPA compliance, including the adequacy of age verification and parental consent mechanisms. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: High. Gaming platforms are a known area of FTC COPPA enforcement focus, and the policy's reliance on self-reported date of birth as the primary age verification mechanism, without describing additional verification steps, may not constitute sufficient verifiable parental consent under COPPA if the system can be circumvented by a child entering a false birthdate. JURISDICTION FLAGS: COPPA applies across all US jurisdictions for users under 13. California's Age-Appropriate Design Code (AB 2273), if upheld, would impose additional design and data minimization obligations for services likely accessed by minors across a broader age range. COPPA also has international analogs in the UK (Children's Code), EU (GDPR Article 8 and national implementations), and other jurisdictions addressed in separate policy supplements. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Third-party vendors receiving data about PlayStation users should be assessed for COPPA compliance capability, particularly if they may receive data from child accounts. Data processing agreements should include representations regarding the vendor's ability to handle data subject to COPPA restrictions. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Legal and compliance teams should evaluate whether PlayStation's age verification process meets the 'reasonable measures' standard under COPPA and whether parental consent collection and storage is documented in a manner that would withstand FTC inquiry. The policy should be reviewed to confirm that data minimization for child accounts is described with sufficient specificity.
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The collection of date of birth to gate child accounts is the mechanism through which COPPA compliance is implemented; if this process fails to accurately identify or appropriately restrict data collection for users under 13, it creates material regulatory exposure.
Parents of children under 13 should ensure their child's PlayStation account is correctly registered as a child account under a Family Management setup, as this determines what data is collected from the child and what parental consent mechanisms apply.
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