Get the weekly research letter
Companies change their terms quietly. We read every version and catch what actually changed. One email a week on the changes that matter and what they mean. No account.
Coursera prohibits use of the Site and Services by persons under 13 and states it does not knowingly collect Personal Data from under-13 users. The notice states Coursera will delete Personal Data of under-13 users processed without verified parental consent upon becoming aware of it.
This analysis describes what Coursera'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 establishes COPPA compliance posture by prohibiting under-13 access and committing to deletion of inadvertently collected child data, which is a standard regulatory requirement for online services not directed at children.
The updated terms now explicitly disclose that Coursera processes communications through voice-enabled features that transcribe audio into text, and clarify that personal data may be shared with third parties including affiliates and business partners. The policy expands descriptions of AI-driven personalization and chatbot applications that use your learning and interaction data. The terms establish that data may be transferred to entities that become Coursera affiliates or subsidiaries during business transitions. You should review the updated guidance that cautions against including unnecessary or sensitive personal data in the platform's free-text and voice-enabled communication features.
View change record →The updated Privacy Notice removes explicit language stating that the policy does not apply to Coursera's Ollie mobile application and no longer directs users to a separate Ollie Privacy Notice for that app. Previously, users of Ollie had clear notice to consult a dedicated privacy policy; that direction is now absent from the main Privacy Notice. The updated notice also narrows the scope of covered entities by removing 'affiliates' from the definition of Coursera, stating the policy now applies to Coursera, Inc., its subsidiaries, and international branches only. Users of the Ollie App should independently verify what privacy terms currently govern that application, as the main Coursera Privacy Notice no longer explicitly addresses Ollie coverage.
View change record →This provision establishes that users under 13 are prohibited from using the Coursera Site and Services, and that any Personal Data collected from under-13 users without verified parental consent will be deleted upon discovery.
Cross-platform context
See how other platforms handle Children Under 13 Prohibition and similar clauses.
Compare across platforms →Monitoring
Coursera has changed this document before.
Receive same-day alerts, structured change summaries, and monitoring for up to 20 platforms.
"Coursera strongly believes in protecting the privacy of children. Any use or access by anyone under the age of 13 is prohibited, and certain regions and Content Offerings may have additional requirements and/or restrictions. In line with this belief, we do not knowingly collect or process Personal Data through the Site or Services from persons under 13 years of age, and no part of the Site or Services is directed to persons under 13 years of age. If you are under 13 years of age, then please do not use or access this Site or Services at any time or in any manner. We will take appropriate steps to delete any Personal Data of persons less than 13 years of age that has been processed through the Site or Services without verified parental consent upon learning of the existence of such Personal Data.Excerpt from Coursera's Privacy Notice
1. REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision directly engages COPPA, which is enforced by the FTC and requires verifiable parental consent prior to collecting personal information from children under 13. The provision's statement that the Site is not directed to under-13 users is relevant to COPPA's actual knowledge and directed-to-children standards. 2. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Low. The prohibition on under-13 access and commitment to delete inadvertently collected data are standard COPPA compliance provisions. The notice does not specify what technical controls are in place to prevent under-13 registration, which may warrant evaluation in an audit context. 3. JURISDICTION FLAGS: US federal COPPA applies. EU GDPR Article 8 sets the age of digital consent at 16 (with member state flexibility to lower to 13), and UK GDPR sets it at 13, creating potential compliance gaps for users aged 13-15 in some EU member states where a higher age threshold applies. The notice does not address this EU age-of-consent variation. 4. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Institutional partners deploying Coursera for programs that may include minor participants should confirm that their use agreements address age verification obligations and COPPA compliance responsibilities. 5. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Compliance teams should audit age verification or age-gating mechanisms to confirm they are reasonably designed to prevent under-13 access. EU-facing compliance teams should assess whether the 13-year threshold satisfies applicable member state age-of-digital-consent requirements.
Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.
Provision-level monitoring, governance timelines, and regulatory mapping built from archived source documents and historical version tracking.
This provision establishes COPPA compliance posture by prohibiting under-13 access and committing to deletion of inadvertently collected child data, which is a standard regulatory requirement for online services not directed at children.
This provision establishes that users under 13 are prohibited from using the Coursera Site and Services, and that any Personal Data collected from under-13 users without verified parental consent will be deleted upon discovery.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Coursera.