Yelp · Yelp Terms of Service · View original document ↗

Age Restriction and COPPA Compliance

Medium severity High confidence Explicitdocumentlanguage Rare · 5 of 325 platforms
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Document Record

What it is

Yelp prohibits anyone under the age of 13 from using its Service, and users must have the legal capacity to agree to the Terms.

This analysis describes what Yelp'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

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

The age restriction reflects Yelp's compliance posture under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which restricts data collection from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

If a user under 13 accesses Yelp, the Terms state they are not authorized, which has implications for any data collected from such users and for parents or guardians who should be aware of this restriction.

How other platforms handle this

Replit Medium

Replit is not directed to children under the age of 13. If you are under 13 years of age, you are not permitted to use the Services. If we learn that we have collected Personal Information from a child under age 13, we will take steps to delete such information from our files as soon as possible.

McDonald's Medium

Our online services are not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will delete that information as quickly as possible.

Figma Medium

Our Services are not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without parental consent, we will take steps to delete such information. In some juris...

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
To access or use the Service, you must have the requisite power and authority to enter into these Terms. Our Service is not directed to children, and any access or use of the Service by anyone under the age of 13 is not allowed.

— Excerpt from Yelp's Yelp Terms of Service

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (Compliance & governance intelligence)

REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: The prohibition on users under 13 directly engages COPPA, enforced by the FTC, which requires verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13. The Terms assert prohibition but do not describe age verification mechanisms, which is a common gap that the FTC has examined in enforcement actions against platforms. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. Asserting a 13+ age requirement without describing technical enforcement measures may be insufficient under COPPA if the platform does not take affirmative steps to prevent underage access. FTC enforcement in this area has resulted in significant penalties against platforms that failed to adequately implement age restrictions. JURISDICTION FLAGS: COPPA applies to US-based operations and to foreign operators targeting US children. EEA and UK age requirements under GDPR and UK GDPR may set higher thresholds (up to 16 in some member states) for lawful processing of children's data, creating additional compliance obligations for Yelp Ireland Ltd. in those markets. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Vendors and partners who integrate Yelp content or user data should be notified of the age restriction and should not expose Yelp services to audiences that include users under 13 without appropriate safeguards. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Legal teams should review whether Yelp's technical implementation includes age-gating or verification mechanisms sufficient to satisfy COPPA requirements beyond the contractual assertion in the Terms. EEA operations should be evaluated for compliance with country-specific age of consent thresholds under GDPR Article 8.

Full compliance analysis

Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.

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Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC enforces COPPA, which governs online collection of personal information from children under 13, directly relevant to this age restriction provision
    File a complaint →

Applicable regulations

CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
Colorado AI Act
US-CO
Connecticut Data Privacy Act Amendments
US-CT
CAN-SPAM
United States Federal
FTC Act Section 5
United States Federal
GDPR
European Union
Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act
US-IN
Kentucky Consumer Data Protection Act
US-KY
Universal Opt-Out Mechanism Expansion 2026
US
VPPA
United States Federal

Provision details

Document information
Document
Yelp Terms of Service
Entity
Yelp
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
May 7, 2026
Last verified
May 9, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-007335
Document ID
CA-D-00239
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
d53503a5204a575101a0b55b41cf0aaf446b9e8335df7c9a9038b9e64167ce4f
Analysis generated
May 7, 2026 06:36 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Yelp
Document: Yelp Terms of Service
Record ID: CA-P-007335
Captured: 2026-05-07 06:36:19 UTC
SHA-256: d53503a5204a5751…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/yelp/yelp-terms-of-service/age-restriction-and-coppa-compliance/
Accessed: May 13, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does Yelp's Age Restriction and COPPA Compliance clause do?

The age restriction reflects Yelp's compliance posture under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which restricts data collection from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent.

How does this clause affect you?

If a user under 13 accesses Yelp, the Terms state they are not authorized, which has implications for any data collected from such users and for parents or guardians who should be aware of this restriction.

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 5 platforms. See the full comparison.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Yelp?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Yelp.