Children’s Personal Information Protection Rules and Guardians Instructions
Updated date: 26th,August,2025
Effective date: 2nd,September,2025
Taobao platform (or “we”, “us” or “our”) is well aware of the importance of protecting the personal information security and privacy of children under the age of 14. This “Children’s Personal Information Protection Rules and Guardians Instructions” (hereinafter referred to as the “Instructions”) seeks to explain our processing rules and other related matters when we collect and use children’s personal information with reference to Taobao’s product functions and services (hereinafter collectively referred to as “our product functions and services”) based on the “Taobao Platform Privacy Policy (Overseas Version)”(hereinafter referred to as the “Privacy Policy”). You or your child must carefully read and ensure that you or your child have thoroughly understood these Instructions in full, especially those clauses in bold or in red, before using our product functions and services.
Special Instructions for Guardians:
As you are a parent or other guardian of your child (collectively, “guardian”), your understanding and cooperation are essential for us to protect your child’s personal information and privacy. In order to safeguard your child’s legitimate rights and interests, we hope you can help us to ensure that your child uses our product functions and services with your consent and guidance, and on such basis, submit necessary personal information to us. We will take special measures to protect the personal information of children obtained by us in accordance with these Instructions. If you do not agree with the contents of these Instructions, please ensure that the child under your custody immediately stops accessing/using our product functions and services.
Special Instructions for Children:
Participation of any child in online activities shall require the prior consent from their guardian. If 1) you are under the age of 14; or 2) you are a child as defined in any law that may be applicable to you; or 3) your age cannot be determined by the information provided by you, you must inform your guardian and read these Instructions with him/her, and obtain his/her consent and guidance before using our product functions and services or submitting your personal information.
These Instructions apply to users’ access to and use of Taobao platforms, including but not limited to the collection, storage, use, transfer, sharing and disclosure of children’s personal information by Taobao platforms. If there is a conflict between these Instructions and the Privacy Policy, these Instructions will take precedence. Anything not covered herein will be governed by the Privacy Policy.
After you have read these Instructions, if you have any questions about these Instructions or matters related to these Instructions, you can contact us through the feedback channels listed in “VII. How to Contact Us” hereof and we will reply as soon as possible.
These Instructions will help you understand the following:
I. How We Collect and Use Children’s Personal Information
II. How We Share, Transfer and Publicly Disclose Children’s Personal Information
III. How We Store Children’s Personal Information
IV. How We Protect Children’s Personal Information
V. How to Manage Children’s Personal Information
VI. Modifications to these Instructions
VII. How to Contact Us
I. How We Collect and Use Children’s Personal Information
1) We will strictly fulfill our obligations and responsibilities of children’s personal information protection as required by laws and regulations, following the principles of due necessity, informed consent, clear purpose, safety assurance, and legal use, and obtaining the consent of the guardian before we collect and use children’s personal information. When you actively provide us with children’s personal information in your use of our product functions and services, such as photos, videos or other information of children that you share in the information posting function (if any) provided by us, you agree to our collection and use of children’s personal information in accordance with the contents of these Instructions.
2) We may collect and use other personal information of your child for the purpose of providing you or your child with our product functions and services, such as providing or recommending a personalized display and providing security for your account. For the specific purpose of use, the scope of personal information collected, and the consequences of refusing to provide the corresponding information, please refer to Chapter II “Use of Personal Information” of the Privacy Policy.
3) We will also automatically collect your or your children’s personal information through Cookies, SDK and other similar technologies. For details, please refer to Chapter VIII “Cookies” of the Privacy Policy. If we need to collect and use children’s personal information beyond the above scope, we will obtain the consent of the guardian.
Please note that in most circumstances, we cannot and will not determine whether the personal information collected and processed is children’s personal information. Generally, we will not actively collect children’s personal information, and we will collect and process users’ personal information in accordance with the Privacy Policy.
4) Exceptions to Authorized Consent
To the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, the collection of children’s information does not require the authorization of their guardians in the following situations:
● The collection of children’s information is related to our performance of our obligations under laws and regulations;
● The collection of children’s information is related to public security, public health, or major public interests;
● The collection of children’s information is related to criminal investigation, prosecution, trial or execution of judgment, etc.;
● The collection of children’s information is for the protection of children's life, property or other vital rights and interests, but it is difficult to obtain the consent of the guardian;
● The information collected is made available to the public by the child or guardian on his or her own;
● Children’s information is collected from information that is legally publicly disclosed;
● The information collection is necessary for entering into and performing relevant agreements or other written documents with you or your children;
● The information collection is necessary to maintain the safe and stable operation of our product functions and services, such as detecting and handling failures of our products functions and services;
● The information collected has been de-identified or anonymized; or
● Other circumstances stipulated by laws and regulations.
II. How We Share, Transfer and Publicly Disclose Children’s Personal Information
1) We keep children’s personal information strictly confidential and share children’s personal information only in accordance with these Instructions and your explicit authorization and consent. In order to improve the efficiency of information processing, reduce the cost of information processing or improve the accuracy of information processing, we may entrust our affiliates or other professional organizations with the capability to process children’s personal information on our behalf. Please see the Chapter III “Disclosure and Sharing of Personal Information” of the Privacy Policy.
2) If it is necessary to share children’s personal information to a third party for the purposes described in these Instructions, we will evaluate the legality, legitimacy and necessity of the third party’s collection of children's personal information. We will require third parties to take measures to protect children’s personal information and to strictly comply with relevant laws, regulations and regulatory requirements. We will require third parties who receive children’s personal information to abide by strict confidentiality obligations and take effective confidentiality measures, prohibit them from using such children’s personal information for purposes not authorized by children and their guardians, and require the entrusted companies to fulfill the following obligations in accordance with the law:
● Process children’s personal information in accordance with the provisions of laws and administrative regulations and our requirements;
● Assist us in responding to requests from guardians of children;
● Take measures to ensure information security, and in the event of a child’s personal information leakage security incident, notify us of the incident in a timely manner;
● Delete children’s personal information in a timely manner when the entrustment is terminated;
● Prohibit sub-entrustment; and
● Other obligations to protect children’s personal information that should be performed in accordance with the law.
In addition, we will obtain your consent for such sharing to the extent required by applicable laws and regulations, or ensure that the third party has obtained your consent.
III. How We Store Children’s Personal Information
1) We will store and process children’s personal information in strict accordance with the provisions of Chapter IV “Data Storage” of the Privacy Policy, but we may transfer children’s personal information overseas after performing our statutory obligations:
● to the extent expressly provided for by applicable laws;
● with your express consent; or
● if you or your child initiate a cross-border transaction or otherwise on the internet.
We will ensure that the protection of children’s personal information is not lower than the level specified in these Instructions through contracts or other forms.
2) We will take reasonably feasible measures to avoid collecting and processing children’s personal information that is irrelevant to the maximum extent possible. We will only retain children’s personal information for as long as necessary to achieve the purposes described in these Instructions, unless there is a mandatory retention period requirement by law. If we terminate the service or operation, we will promptly stop collecting children’s personal information, and at the same time, we will comply with the relevant laws and regulations to notify the guardians in advance, and delete or anonymize the personal information of children after the termination of the service or operation, except as otherwise provided by laws and regulations or regulatory authorities.
IV. How We Protect Children’s Personal Information
We attach great importance to the privacy security of children and take all reasonably feasible measures to protect children’s personal information:
1) Access control: We take technical measures to record and control the processing of children’s personal information by our staff to avoid illegal copying and downloading of children’s personal information; and
2) We have established emergency plans for children’s personal information security incidents. We regularly organize relevant internal personnel to conduct emergency response training and emergency drills to make them fully aware of their job responsibilities and emergency response strategies and procedures. In the event of any children’s personal information security incident, we will promptly inform the relevant children and their guardians of the basic situation and possible impact of the security incident, the measures we have taken or will take, the suggestions for children and their guardians to prevent and mitigate risks independently, and the remedial measures for children and their guardians, in accordance with the requirements of laws and regulations. We will promptly update the children and their guardians on the progress by means of App push notification, email/short message, etc. Where it is difficult to inform affected children individually, we will issue relevant warning information in a reasonable and effective way. At the same time, we will also report the handling of children’s personal information security incidents in accordance with the requirements of local regulatory authorities.
V. How to Manage Children’s Personal Information
You or your child can contact us through the channels listed in Chapter XIV “Contact Us” of the Privacy Policy to request the deletion of the personal information of children if:
● we collect, store, use or share children’s personal information in violation of the provisions of laws or administrative regulations or the agreement between us;
● we collect, store, use or share children’s personal information beyond the originally intended purposes or the necessary period;
● you withdraw your consent; or
● you or your child terminate the use of our product functions and services by means of account cancellation or otherwise.
VI. Modifications to These Instructions
We may modify the terms of these Instructions in line with the update of our product functions and services and the relevant requirements of laws and regulations. Such modifications form part of these Instructions. Due to large number of our users, we will also provide more prominent notices for material changes (including display on the home page of our website or application, and even pop-up prompts). For details, please refer Chapter XI “Updates of Privacy Policy” of the Privacy Policy.
VII. How to Contact Us
If you and your child have any questions about these Instructions, or have any complaints or comments about the processing of children’s personal information, please contact us through the following channels. We will reply to your requests, questions, comments or suggestions within fifteen (15) days after verifying the identity of the guardian and/or child, unless otherwise provided for in laws:
1) If you have any questions, comments or suggestions about the contents of these Instructions, you can contact us through Taobao customer service; and
2) You can contact our data protection officer through [pip.tmw@service.alibaba.com] (please indicate that it is related to [Taobao] and describe the specific facts). Please note that we may not respond to questions that are not related to these Instructions or your personal information rights.
3) These Instructions shall be governed by the laws of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. For any dispute arising from any terms or conditions of these Instructions, the parties may settle it through friendly consultation, failing which, upon the request of either party and with a notice to the other party, the dispute shall be submitted to the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (“HKIAC”) for arbitration in Hong Kong, China in accordance with the HKIAC Arbitration Rules in effect at the time the arbitration notice is submitted. The arbitration tribunal shall consist of a sole arbitrator. The arbitration shall be conducted in Chinese or English. The award rendered by the HKIAC shall be final and binding upon both you and us.
