Substack prohibits users under 16 from registering or sharing personal information. If Substack discovers it has collected data from someone under 16, it will delete that data.
This analysis describes what Substack'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 minimum age threshold of 16 is higher than COPPA's 13-year statutory minimum, which means Substack has adopted a stricter standard that also captures 13 to 15-year-olds who might otherwise legally use other platforms.
Users aged 13 to 15 are expressly prohibited from using Substack, a threshold higher than what COPPA strictly requires. Parents who believe their child under 16 has registered should contact tos@substackinc.com to request data deletion.
How other platforms handle this
If you choose to reveal any personal information about yourself to other users, you do so at your own risk. We strongly encourage you to use caution in disclosing any personal information online.
When you are asked to provide information, you may decline to do so; but if you choose not to provide information that is necessary to provide some of our Services, you may not be able to use those Services.
to object to profiling activities based on our own legitimate interests
"The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act ("COPPA") requires that online service providers obtain parental consent before they knowingly collect personally identifiable information online from children. We do not knowingly collect or solicit personally identifiable information from children under 16; if you are a child under 16, please do not attempt to register for Substack or send any personal information about yourself to us. If we learn we have collected personal information from a child under 16, we will delete that information as quickly as possible.Excerpt from Substack's Terms of Use
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: COPPA, enforced by the FTC, requires verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13.
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The minimum age threshold of 16 is higher than COPPA's 13-year statutory minimum, which means Substack has adopted a stricter standard that also captures 13 to 15-year-olds who might otherwise legally use other platforms.
Users aged 13 to 15 are expressly prohibited from using Substack, a threshold higher than what COPPA strictly requires. Parents who believe their child under 16 has registered should contact tos@substackinc.com to request data deletion.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 290 platforms. See the full comparison.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Substack.