You must be at least 13 years old to use Medium, and by creating an account you are legally promising that you meet this age requirement.
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
Medium relies on user self-attestation for age verification — there is no technical verification mechanism described — meaning children under 13 could access the platform, creating regulatory risk for both Medium and parents.
The 13-year minimum age requirement is enforced only through user self-declaration, with no described technical age-verification mechanism, which creates risk for minors who access the platform and may trigger COPPA obligations if Medium collects data from users under 13.
How other platforms handle this
The Services are not directed to individuals under the age of 18. By using the Services, you represent and warrant that you are at least 18 years of age. If you are under 18 years of age, you are not permitted to use the Services. If Noom learns that it has collected personal information from a chil...
You must be at least thirteen (13) years old to use the Mistral AI Products. In addition, you must have parental or legal guardian permission, where required, if you are a minor creating a Mistral AI account or using the Mistral AI Products. We will delete any Mistral AI account found to violate the...
You must be at least 18 years old to use Whatnot. By using Whatnot, you represent and warrant that you are at least 18 years of age. If you are not 18 years of age or older, please do not use Whatnot.
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"You must be at least 13 years old to use our Services. By agreeing to these Terms, you represent and warrant to us that: (a) you are at least 13 years of age; (b) you have not previously been suspended or removed from our Services; and (c) your registration and your use of the Services is in compliance with any and all applicable laws and regulations.— Excerpt from Medium's Medium Terms of Service
REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: This provision directly implicates COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, 15 U.S.C. §6501 et seq. and 16 C.F.R. Part 312), which prohibits collection of personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. The FTC enforces COPPA with civil penalties up to $51,744 per violation per day. The EU's GDPR Art. 8 sets the age of digital consent at 16 (with member state flexibility to lower to 13), and requires verifiable parental consent for younger users. The UK Age Appropriate Design Code (Children's Code) imposes design obligations on platforms likely accessed by users under 18.
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Medium relies on user self-attestation for age verification — there is no technical verification mechanism described — meaning children under 13 could access the platform, creating regulatory risk for both Medium and parents.
The 13-year minimum age requirement is enforced only through user self-declaration, with no described technical age-verification mechanism, which creates risk for minors who access the platform and may trigger COPPA obligations if Medium collects data from users under 13.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 1 platforms. See the full comparison.
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