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
The age restriction operates as a foundational eligibility criterion for account creation and service use. The warranty mechanism creates contractual representations that users affirm their eligibility status at the point of service acceptance.
The updated terms expand a data collection warranty to apply to all personal information users provide to Medium, not limited to newsletter editor submissions. Users now represent and warrant that any personal information they submit has been lawfully collected and that all required notices and consents were obtained before collection. This means the warranty applies whether data is provided through newsletters, account profiles, submissions, or other Medium features. If a user provides personal information collected without proper notice or consent, they may be in breach of this representation.
View change record →The provision was substantially reframed from user attestation/warranty language to a safe-harbor statement about services not being directed at children, with a data breach notification provision replacing prior compliance warranties.
View full change record →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 children under the age of 13, and Asana does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are under 16 years of age, you may not use the services without the consent of your parent or legal guardian.
The Service is not directed to children under the age of 13. If you are under 13, do not use or provide any information on the Service. 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.
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 you are under 13, please do not use our Services or provide any personal information to us.
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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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The age restriction operates as a foundational eligibility criterion for account creation and service use. The warranty mechanism creates contractual representations that users affirm their eligibility status at the point of service acceptance.
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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