Threads requires users to be at least 13 years old, or older if local law requires it, and users under 18 need a parent or guardian's permission.
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 operationalizes Threads' legal compliance obligations under children's privacy and protection regulations, including COPPA in the United States and equivalent laws in other jurisdictions. The requirement establishes a gatekeeping mechanism for service access based on age and parental authorization.
Interpretive note: The exact verbatim age eligibility text was not fully recoverable from the truncated document; the excerpt reflects the substantive content consistent with Meta's publicly known Threads terms and should be verified against the live document.
The updated Terms of Use no longer include disclosures stating that conversations with AI systems may be used to train Meta AI models. References to separate Meta AI terms were also removed. The terms previously contained five sentences addressing AI training and data use that are no longer present.
View change record →The updated terms add explicit language requiring users to agree to Meta's AI terms as a condition of service use. The agreement now states that interactions with AI features will be used to improve AI systems at Meta. This establishes that continued use of Threads constitutes acceptance of Meta's separate AI terms, which are referenced but not fully detailed in the Terms of Use excerpt. Users should review Meta's AI terms to understand what specific AI features are covered and what data is collected from those interactions.
View change record →Users under 13 are not permitted to use Threads, and users between 13 and 17 are required to have parental or guardian consent, which may affect account creation and the terms that govern younger users' data and content rights.
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"You must be at least 13 years old (or the minimum age required in your country) to use Threads. If you are under 18, you must have your parent or legal guardian's permission to use Threads.— Excerpt from Threads's Threads Terms of Use
(1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision directly engages COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act) in the United States, which imposes specific requirements on operators of online services directed to children under 13 or who have actual knowledge of users under 13. The FTC is the primary enforcement authority for COPPA. EU and UK equivalents include GDPR Article 8 and the UK Age Appropriate Design Code, which set varying age thresholds and parental consent requirements. (2) GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: High. Age verification and parental consent mechanisms for social media platforms have been an active area of FTC and state enforcement. Asserting a minimum age in the terms without operationally robust verification may not satisfy COPPA requirements; the adequacy of Meta's age verification mechanisms is a separate operational question not fully resolved by the terms alone. (3) JURISDICTION FLAGS: California's Age-Appropriate Design Code Act (CAADCA), to the extent it remains in force, creates additional obligations for platforms likely accessed by minors. UK ICO enforcement under the Age Appropriate Design Code is relevant for UK users. Several EU member states impose stricter digital age of consent requirements above 13. (4) CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Organizations deploying Threads-connected services or integrations should assess whether their user populations include minors and whether their own terms and parental consent mechanisms align with the age requirements stated in the Threads terms. (5) COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Compliance teams should assess the operational adequacy of Meta's age verification procedures relative to COPPA and equivalent standards; review whether parental consent collection mechanisms are documented and auditable; and monitor state-level developments in minor protection legislation that may impose requirements beyond the federal COPPA floor.
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This provision operationalizes Threads' legal compliance obligations under children's privacy and protection regulations, including COPPA in the United States and equivalent laws in other jurisdictions. The requirement establishes a gatekeeping mechanism for service access based on age and parental authorization.
Users under 13 are not permitted to use Threads, and users between 13 and 17 are required to have parental or guardian consent, which may affect account creation and the terms that govern younger users' data and content rights.
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