The agreement sets a minimum age of 13 for direct Service use, permits children under 13 to use YouTube Kids if enabled by a parent or guardian, and makes parents or guardians who permit their child to use the Service contractually responsible for the child's activity under these terms.
This analysis describes what YouTube Ads'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 makes parents or legal guardians who enable a child's access to the Service contractually bound by and responsible under these Terms for their child's activity, including content uploaded and conduct on the platform. The agreement incorporates COPPA-relevant structures by conditioning under-13 access on parental enablement.
Under this provision, parents or legal guardians who allow children under 18 to use YouTube are bound by these Terms and are responsible for their child's activity on the Service. Children under 13 may access YouTube Kids if specifically enabled by a parent or guardian through the mechanisms described in the Help Center.
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"You must be at least 13 years old to use the Service; however, children of all ages may use the Service and YouTube Kids (where available) if enabled by a parent or legal guardian. If you are under 18, you represent that you have your parent or guardian's permission to use the Service. If you are a parent or legal guardian of a user under the age of 18, by allowing your child to use the Service, you are subject to the terms of this Agreement and responsible for your child's activity on the Service.— Excerpt from YouTube Ads's YouTube Terms of Service
1. REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision directly engages COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act), enforced by the FTC, which governs collection of personal information from children under 13. The agreement's structure of conditioning under-13 access on parental enablement reflects COPPA compliance design, though the full compliance mechanism is addressed in the YouTube Kids Privacy Notice referenced in the document rather than in this Terms document alone. The EU GDPR and national implementations also impose age-related consent requirements for data processing involving minors, typically at age 16 unless member states have set a lower threshold of no less than 13. 2. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: High for platforms and organizations that enable YouTube access for minors. The parental responsibility clause contractually binds parents to these Terms upon enabling child access, which includes the liability cap, indemnification, and forum selection clauses described elsewhere in this document. 3. JURISDICTION FLAGS: EU and EEA member states have varying digital age of consent thresholds (ranging from 13 to 16) under GDPR Article 8, which may affect the lawfulness of processing personal data of minors using the Service. UK GDPR sets the digital consent age at 13. The UK Children's Code (Age Appropriate Design Code) imposes additional obligations on platforms likely to be accessed by children. California's Age-Appropriate Design Code Act may impose additional requirements for California minors. 4. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Organizations that deploy YouTube in educational or family contexts should assess their COPPA and FERPA compliance obligations when facilitating student or minor access to the Service. Schools and educational technology vendors should separately evaluate YouTube's educational products and associated data processing agreements. 5. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Organizations operating in consumer contexts where minors are likely users should assess their obligations under COPPA, GDPR Article 8, and applicable national law regarding consent mechanisms for minor users. The reference to Google Family Link as the parental consent mechanism should be evaluated against applicable legal requirements for verifiable parental consent in the relevant jurisdiction.
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This provision makes parents or legal guardians who enable a child's access to the Service contractually bound by and responsible under these Terms for their child's activity, including content uploaded and conduct on the platform. The agreement incorporates COPPA-relevant structures by conditioning under-13 access on parental enablement.
Under this provision, parents or legal guardians who allow children under 18 to use YouTube are bound by these Terms and are responsible for their child's activity on the Service. Children under 13 may access YouTube Kids if specifically enabled by a parent or guardian through the mechanisms described in the Help Center.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 1 platforms. See the full comparison.
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