The policy states that Medium's services are not directed to children under 13 and that Medium does not knowingly collect personal information from this age group, committing to delete such information if discovered, consistent with COPPA requirements.
This analysis describes what Medium'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 Medium's COPPA compliance posture, but the policy does not describe the verification mechanisms used to prevent collection of under-13 data, which is an operational detail relevant to COPPA enforcement by the FTC.
The updated policy states that Medium and its vendors may scan, analyze, and review your content, messages, AI interactions, and associated metadata. Data sharing now explicitly includes information you submitted or posted through the service, extending beyond infrastructure support to machine learning model training and improvement. The policy does not indicate an opt-out mechanism or granular user control over this specific use of content.
View change record →Removal of explicit children's privacy protection language eliminates the clear policy statement regarding COPPA compliance and child data deletion procedures, reducing transparency about protections for minors.
View full change record →Added explicit statement that data is not knowingly collected from children under 13 and added reference to parental consent verification requirement.
View full change record →The agreement establishes that children under 13 are excluded from the intended user base and that personal information collected from this age group will be deleted upon discovery; the policy does not describe age verification procedures used at account creation.
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"Our Services are not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn we have collected or received personal information from a child under 13 without verification of parental consent, we will delete that information.Excerpt from Medium's Privacy Policy
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Ad personalization controls removed. Contact scanning added. Advertiser data partnerships quietly dropped. A timeline of every change.
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This provision establishes Medium's COPPA compliance posture, but the policy does not describe the verification mechanisms used to prevent collection of under-13 data, which is an operational detail relevant to COPPA enforcement by the FTC.
The agreement establishes that children under 13 are excluded from the intended user base and that personal information collected from this age group will be deleted upon discovery; the policy does not describe age verification procedures used at account creation.
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