YouTube · YouTube Terms of Service

Minor Users and Parental Responsibility

High severity
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What it is

Parents who let their children use YouTube become legally responsible for everything their child does on the platform and are personally bound by all of YouTube's Terms of Service.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Parents who enable children's access to YouTube — including children under 13 via YouTube Kids — are personally and legally bound by all Terms including the indemnification clause, making them financially liable for any claims arising from their child's activity on the platform.

Cross-platform context

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Why it matters (compliance & risk perspective)

Parents and guardians who consent to their child's YouTube use accept the full indemnification and liability provisions of the Terms on behalf of their child, including potential financial obligations for the child's content or conduct.

View original clause language
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 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.

Institutional analysis (Compliance & legal intelligence)

REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: This provision directly engages COPPA (15 U.S.C. §6501-6508) and the FTC's COPPA Rule (16 CFR Part 312), which requires verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13. GDPR Article 8 requires parental consent for data processing of children under 16 (or lower age set by member states, minimum 13) in the EU. UK Age Appropriate Design Code (Children's Code) imposes additional obligations for services likely to be accessed by children.

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Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC enforces COPPA and has previously fined YouTube $170 million for violations of child privacy rules; this provision implicates ongoing COPPA compliance obligations.
    File a complaint →

Provision details

Document information
Document
YouTube Terms of Service
Entity
YouTube
Document last updated
April 29, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
April 28, 2026
Last verified
April 28, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-003973
Document ID
CA-D-00069
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
SHA-256
29a35f30aec4fcdd01e0e440c99cf919acfeef49e92424061d5b45ab92271a6b
Verified
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Change verified
How to Cite
ConductAtlas Policy Archive
Entity: YouTube | Document: YouTube Terms of Service | Record: CA-P-003973
Captured: 2026-04-28 09:39:38 UTC | SHA-256: 29a35f30aec4fcdd…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/youtube/youtube-terms-of-service/minor-users-and-parental-responsibility/
Accessed: May 2, 2026
Classification
Severity
High
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