If you are in the EU, UK, or Australia, you must be at least 18 years old to create a Telegram account.
This analysis describes what Telegram'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 age restriction creates a clear eligibility requirement for users in named jurisdictions and may have implications for how Telegram handles age verification and data of minors who may have signed up before this rule was in place.
Users under 18 in the EU, UK, and Australia are not permitted to use Telegram under these terms, and accounts of underage users may be subject to termination if discovered.
How other platforms handle this
Our Products are not directed to children. You must be at least 13 years old to use our Products. If you are under 18, you must have your parent or legal guardian's permission to use our Products and they must read and agree to these Terms on your behalf.
To be eligible to use the Venmo services, you must be a resident of the United States and at least 18 years of age. By accepting these terms, you represent and warrant that you meet the eligibility requirements. If you do not meet these requirements, you may not use the Venmo services.
You may not use Runway's tools to create content that promotes, glorifies, or facilitates acts of terrorism, mass violence, or genocide, or that could be used to provide material support to individuals or organizations engaged in such activities.
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"Users in EU countries, the United Kingdom and Australia must be at least 18 years old to sign up.— Excerpt from Telegram's Telegram Terms of Service
(1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision engages the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Article 8, which sets the age of consent for data processing of children at 16 (or lower where member states have set a lower threshold, with a minimum of 13), as well as the UK Children's Code (Age Appropriate Design Code) and Australian Privacy Act requirements for children's data. Telegram's ToS setting 18 as the minimum age for EU and UK users is more restrictive than GDPR's minimum threshold, suggesting a compliance posture that avoids child data processing obligations. COPPA is relevant for US users under 13 but is not explicitly addressed in this document. (2) GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. The age restriction is stated but the document does not describe an age verification mechanism. Regulatory guidance in the EU and UK increasingly requires platforms to implement technical measures to enforce age restrictions, not merely assert them in ToS. The absence of a described verification mechanism may be a compliance gap. (3) JURISDICTION FLAGS: The EU Digital Services Act imposes obligations on platforms with significant reach regarding protection of minors; the UK Age Appropriate Design Code requires default privacy settings appropriate for children and effective age assurance. Australia's Online Safety Act has age-related provisions. In each jurisdiction, stated ToS age restrictions without verification mechanisms may be considered insufficient. (4) CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Organizations using Telegram for youth-facing services or in educational contexts should note that the 18+ age restriction for EU/UK/Australia creates a compliance dependency on user self-declaration, which may not satisfy institutional safeguarding obligations. (5) COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Legal teams advising on platform selection for audiences that may include minors should assess whether Telegram's stated age restriction, absent a described verification mechanism, satisfies applicable law. Data protection impact assessments may be warranted for deployments in EU or UK contexts.
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This age restriction creates a clear eligibility requirement for users in named jurisdictions and may have implications for how Telegram handles age verification and data of minors who may have signed up before this rule was in place.
Users under 18 in the EU, UK, and Australia are not permitted to use Telegram under these terms, and accounts of underage users may be subject to termination if discovered.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Telegram.