Parents or guardians who create accounts for children under 18 agree to take full legal responsibility for everything the child does on PlayStation, including any terms violations that could result in account suspension.
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
Parents are accepting full liability for their child's activity on PlayStation, which means a child's code of conduct violation or unauthorized purchase could result in consequences that affect the parent's account, console, and purchased content library.
Parents who set up child accounts assume complete liability for the child's actions under these terms, including responsibility for any unauthorized purchases, code of conduct violations, or other terms breaches that could trigger account or console suspension.
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TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, NEITHER WHATNOT NOR ITS SERVICE PROVIDERS INVOLVED IN CREATING, PRODUCING, OR DELIVERING THE SERVICES WILL BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR DAMAGES FOR LOST PROFITS, LOST REVENUES, LOST SAVINGS, LOST BUSINESS OPPORT...
In no event will either party's aggregate liability arising out of or related to this Agreement exceed the total fees paid or payable by Customer in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim. In no event will either party be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive d...
Except as stated in Section L.3.b, the liability of each party, and its affiliates and licensors, for any damages arising out of or related to these Terms (i) excludes damages that are consequential, incidental, special, indirect, or exemplary damages, including lost profits, business, contracts, re...
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"If you are accepting this Agreement on behalf of a child under 18 ('child'), you also (a) represent that you are the parent or legal guardian of the child; (b) affirm that you accept this Agreement and acknowledge the PlayStation Privacy Policy on behalf of your child; and (c) accept all liability for their actions on the Services and compliance with these Terms.— Excerpt from Sony PlayStation's PlayStation Terms of Service
(1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: The child account framework directly engages COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act), which requires verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13. The document's broad parental liability acceptance may also interact with state minor protection statutes and FTC enforcement guidance on children's online services. The agreement's acknowledgment of the PlayStation Privacy Policy and Rules for Younger Players suggests a layered consent structure that should be evaluated for COPPA compliance adequacy. (2) GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: High from a regulatory standpoint. COPPA enforcement by the FTC is active, and the adequacy of the parental consent verification mechanism — whether mere account creation constitutes sufficient 'verifiable parental consent' — is a key compliance question. The broad liability transfer to parents is operationally significant given that child accounts can trigger consequences on the parent's primary account. (3) JURISDICTION FLAGS: COPPA applies to US users where children under 13 are involved. EU users are subject to GDPR provisions on children's data (Article 8 sets age of digital consent at 16, with member state variation down to 13). The agreement's acknowledgment of local law variations is relevant here. (4) CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Third-party developers and publishers whose content is accessible through child accounts should assess whether their own data practices and content standards comply with applicable children's online safety requirements, particularly given SIE's broad platform terms. (5) COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Legal teams should audit the parental consent verification flow to determine whether it meets COPPA's 'verifiable' standard, evaluate whether parental liability acceptance is adequately disclosed before account creation, and assess whether the data handling practices for child accounts are consistent with COPPA's data minimization and deletion requirements.
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Parents are accepting full liability for their child's activity on PlayStation, which means a child's code of conduct violation or unauthorized purchase could result in consequences that affect the parent's account, console, and purchased content library.
Parents who set up child accounts assume complete liability for the child's actions under these terms, including responsibility for any unauthorized purchases, code of conduct violations, or other terms breaches that could trigger account or console suspension.
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