Waze states that its service is not for children under 13 (or under 16 in the EU), and the company says it does not knowingly collect personal data from children under these ages without parental consent.
This analysis describes what Waze'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 provision establishes minimum age thresholds consistent with COPPA (US) and GDPR Article 8 (EU), but relies on user self-representation rather than active age verification, which may be insufficient to satisfy regulatory requirements in some jurisdictions.
Interpretive note: The adequacy of self-declaration age gating versus active verification measures is subject to regulatory interpretation under COPPA and GDPR Article 8, and may vary by jurisdiction.
The updated Terms now establish that you are binding yourself not only to the main Terms of Use but also to Waze's Content Moderation Policy, Community Terms, and Copyright Policy as integral parts of the agreement. This expands the set of rules you must comply with when using the Service. The revised terms also clarify that the Service is intended for users of legal driving age and explicitly describe Waze's advertising model: the Service is free because advertising revenue funds operations, and Waze uses your data to show you targeted ads, with controls available to manage ad personalization preferences.
View change record →Provision renamed and expanded to include jurisdiction-specific age thresholds, specifically mentioning EU's 16-year threshold.
View full change record →Children under 13 in the US (or under 16 in the EU) are not authorized to use Waze, and parents should be aware that the service relies on self-declaration rather than verified age gates to enforce this restriction.
How other platforms handle this
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.
to object to profiling activities based on our own legitimate interests
"The Service is not directed to children under the age of 13. If you are under 13, please do not use the Service. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without parental consent. In certain jurisdictions, such as the EU, a higher age threshold of 16 may apply.Excerpt from Waze's Terms of Use
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision engages COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act), enforced by the FTC, which requires verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13 in the US.
Enforcement risk, jurisdiction flags, contract triggers, and due diligence action items.
Ad personalization controls removed. Contact scanning added. Advertiser data partnerships quietly dropped. A timeline of every change.
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The provision establishes minimum age thresholds consistent with COPPA (US) and GDPR Article 8 (EU), but relies on user self-representation rather than active age verification, which may be insufficient to satisfy regulatory requirements in some jurisdictions.
Children under 13 in the US (or under 16 in the EU) are not authorized to use Waze, and parents should be aware that the service relies on self-declaration rather than verified age gates to enforce this restriction.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 290 platforms. See the full comparison.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Waze.