You must be at least 18 years old to use Public.com independently; users between 13 and 17 can use the platform only with parental supervision and consent, and children under 13 are not permitted to use the service.
This analysis describes what Public.com'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 eligibility requirement is legally significant because investment accounts for minors typically require custodial account structures with specific regulatory requirements, and the terms create a blanket warranty of user eligibility that users must self-certify.
Interpretive note: The operational mechanism for establishing parental supervision and consent for 13-to-17-year-old users is not specified in the terms, creating ambiguity about how compliance with this provision is verified in practice.
Users who are minors and access the platform without parental supervision or who misrepresent their age may find their accounts suspended and their transactions voidable, with potential complications in recovering assets held in the account.
How other platforms handle this
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 Service is not directed to children under the age of 13. By using the Service, you represent and warrant that you are at least 18 years of age, or if you are between the ages of 13 and 17, that you are using the Service with the supervision of a parent or legal guardian who agrees to be bound by these Terms.— Excerpt from Public.com's Public.com Terms of Service
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) prohibits collection of personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent, and the platform's statement that the service is not directed to children under 13 is a standard COPPA compliance mechanism. FINRA and SEC rules impose specific requirements on custodial investment accounts for minors (UGMA/UTMA accounts), which are distinct from the general user eligibility provision here. State laws may impose additional requirements on investment accounts held by or on behalf of minors. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. The age eligibility provision relies on user self-certification rather than technical age verification, which creates compliance exposure under COPPA if underage users access the platform and their data is collected. The supervised minor provision for 13-to-17-year-olds is operationally ambiguous regarding how parental supervision is established or verified. JURISDICTION FLAGS: COPPA creates federal exposure for data collected from users under 13. Several states are enacting or have enacted stricter age-appropriate design and data protection requirements for platforms accessible to minors, including California's Age-Appropriate Design Code, which may impose additional obligations on Public.com regarding minor user data. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: The parental guardian consent mechanism for 13-to-17-year-olds should be assessed against applicable regulatory requirements to determine whether a documented consent process is required and whether vendor data processing agreements adequately address minor user data handling. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Compliance teams should assess whether the platform's technical controls are sufficient to prevent or detect underage access in light of COPPA requirements and emerging state age-appropriate design laws. The ambiguity in the supervised minor provision warrants clarification in the terms and in operational procedures.
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The age eligibility requirement is legally significant because investment accounts for minors typically require custodial account structures with specific regulatory requirements, and the terms create a blanket warranty of user eligibility that users must self-certify.
Users who are minors and access the platform without parental supervision or who misrepresent their age may find their accounts suspended and their transactions voidable, with potential complications in recovering assets held in the account.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 4 platforms. See the full comparison.
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