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The policy states that Threads is not designed for users under 13 years of age and that Meta does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.
This analysis describes what Threads'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 provision establishes the minimum age threshold for Threads consistent with COPPA requirements in the US, and creates an obligation on Meta not to knowingly collect data from users below this age. The operational effectiveness of this restriction depends on the age verification mechanisms Meta employs at account creation.
Under this clause, users under 13 are not permitted to use Threads and Meta asserts it does not knowingly collect their personal data. Parents or guardians who believe a child under 13 has created a Threads account may contact Meta to request account deletion.
How other platforms handle this
California residents under the age of 18 who are registered users of online sites, services, or applications have a right under California Business and Professions Code Section 22581 to remove, or request and obtain removal of, content or information they have publicly posted.
If you choose to reveal any personal information about yourself to other users, you do so at your own risk. We strongly encourage you to use caution in disclosing any personal information online.
When you are asked to provide information, you may decline to do so; but if you choose not to provide information that is necessary to provide some of our Services, you may not be able to use those Services.
Monitoring
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"Threads is not intended for people under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.Excerpt from Threads's Privacy Policy
1. REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision engages COPPA, which applies to the online collection of personal information from children under 13 in the US and is enforced by the FTC. COPPA requires verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13. The policy's 'not intended for' and 'not knowingly collect' framing is standard COPPA compliance language, though the FTC has noted that 'actual knowledge' standards in age restriction cases can be contested. In the EU, GDPR and national implementations (e.g., Ireland's Children's Fundamentals Code) impose additional obligations where services are likely to be accessed by minors. 2. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. Platforms that rely solely on self-reported age at registration without additional verification face ongoing regulatory scrutiny regarding COPPA compliance. The FTC has taken enforcement action against social media platforms for inadequate age verification leading to collection of children's data. The EU's GDPR Article 8 sets a minimum age of 16 (with member state variations down to 13) for consent-based processing. 3. JURISDICTION FLAGS: US federal COPPA enforcement applies universally. In the EU, Ireland's Age Appropriate Design Code and similar national frameworks impose design obligations on services likely accessed by minors. California's Age Appropriate Design Code Act (AADC) imposes additional obligations on platforms likely to be accessed by users under 18. 4. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Developers building on Threads' API should ensure their applications do not facilitate access by users under 13 in a manner inconsistent with Meta's stated policy, as this could create downstream COPPA liability. 5. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Legal teams should assess whether Meta's age verification mechanisms at Threads registration are sufficient to support the 'not knowingly collect' representation under current FTC COPPA guidance. Where Threads is used in organizational contexts, acceptable use policies should address the age restriction.
Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.
Ad personalization controls removed. Contact scanning added. Advertiser data partnerships quietly dropped. A timeline of every change.
Provision-level monitoring, governance timelines, and regulatory mapping built from archived source documents and historical version tracking.
This provision establishes the minimum age threshold for Threads consistent with COPPA requirements in the US, and creates an obligation on Meta not to knowingly collect data from users below this age. The operational effectiveness of this restriction depends on the age verification mechanisms Meta employs at account creation.
Under this clause, users under 13 are not permitted to use Threads and Meta asserts it does not knowingly collect their personal data. Parents or guardians who believe a child under 13 has created a Threads account may contact Meta to request account deletion.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 294 platforms. See the full comparison.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Threads.