LinkedIn requires users to be at least 16 years old, or older if local law requires, and prohibits false account registration including accounts created for people under 16.
This analysis describes what LinkedIn'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
The agreement sets a minimum age of 16 globally but acknowledges that local laws may require a higher age threshold, which means the effective minimum age may vary by jurisdiction and affects whether parental consent is required for personal data processing.
Interpretive note: The mechanism by which LinkedIn verifies user age and enforces jurisdiction-specific minimum age thresholds is not described in the User Agreement; effective minimum age may vary by jurisdiction.
Users under 16 are not permitted to use LinkedIn, and the agreement requires accounts to use real names; the minimum age adjusts upward where local law requires parental consent for personal data processing, which is relevant for 16 and 17 year olds in certain jurisdictions.
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You must be at least 13 years old (or the minimum age required in your country) to use Threads. If you are under 18, you must have your parent or legal guardian's permission to use Threads.
Our Services are not directed to children under 13. If you learn that anyone younger than 13 has unlawfully provided us with personal data, please contact us at privacy@medium.com.
The Service is intended for general audiences and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child under the age of 13 has provided us with personal information without your cons...
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"The Services are not for use by anyone under the age of 16. To use the Services, you agree that: (1) you must be the "Minimum Age" (described below) or older; (2) you will only have one LinkedIn account, which must be in your real name; and (3) you are not already restricted by LinkedIn from using the Services. Creating an account with false information is a violation of our terms, including accounts registered on behalf of others or persons under the age of 16. "Minimum Age" means 16 years old. However, if law requires that you must be older in order for LinkedIn to lawfully provide the Services to you without parental consent (including using your personal data) then the Minimum Age is such older age.— Excerpt from LinkedIn's LinkedIn User Agreement
1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: GDPR Article 8 sets the age of digital consent at 16 years for most EU member states, though member states may lower this to 13; the agreement's 16-year minimum aligns with the GDPR default. COPPA applies to US children under 13 and would be relevant if LinkedIn were used by that age group, though the 16-year minimum exceeds COPPA's threshold. The UK's Age Appropriate Design Code (Children's Code) imposes additional obligations for services likely to be accessed by users under 18, which may be relevant given that 16 and 17 year olds are permitted users. 2) GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. The agreement's acknowledgment that local law may require a higher minimum age creates a variable compliance threshold; the mechanism by which LinkedIn verifies age and adjusts the minimum age threshold in practice is not described in the User Agreement. 3) JURISDICTION FLAGS: EU member states that have lowered the GDPR Article 8 consent age below 16 create a potential mismatch with LinkedIn's 16-year minimum. The UK's Children's Code creates heightened obligations for LinkedIn regarding 16 and 17 year old users. US states with privacy laws addressing minors (California's CPRA, Illinois) create additional compliance considerations. 4) CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Organizations using LinkedIn for recruitment or professional networking should be aware that 16 and 17 year olds may be members, which may affect how organizations interact with profiles in certain regulated industries. 5) COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Compliance teams should assess LinkedIn's age verification mechanisms when evaluating the platform for contexts involving minors, such as student internship programs or youth professional development initiatives. The interaction between LinkedIn's 16-year minimum and local law variations means the effective compliance threshold is jurisdiction-dependent.
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The agreement sets a minimum age of 16 globally but acknowledges that local laws may require a higher age threshold, which means the effective minimum age may vary by jurisdiction and affects whether parental consent is required for personal data processing.
Users under 16 are not permitted to use LinkedIn, and the agreement requires accounts to use real names; the minimum age adjusts upward where local law requires parental consent for personal data processing, which is relevant for 16 and 17 year olds in certain jurisdictions.
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