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Children's Privacy Notice

Last updated: 2026-05-12

Shrutam is committed to protecting the privacy of children and complying with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). This Children's Privacy Notice explains our practices regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information from children under 18 years of age when they use Shrutam Research (research.shrutam.com).

1. Our Commitment to Children's Privacy

We understand the importance of protecting children's privacy in the online environment. Our services are designed with children's safety and privacy as a top priority. We do not target children under 13 for data collection and implement strict parental consent mechanisms for users aged 13-17.

2. Age Restrictions and Verification

2.1 Users Under 13 Years Old

Shrutam Research is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. During the onboarding process for Shrutam Research, we require all users to provide their Date of Birth. If a user indicates they are under 13, their sign-up will be blocked, and they will receive a clear message stating that they cannot create an account due to age restrictions and COPPA compliance.

2.2 Users Aged 13-17 Years Old (Minors)

For users who are 13, 14, 15, 16, or 17 years old, we require verifiable parental consent before their Shrutam Research account can be fully activated and before we collect any personal information beyond what is necessary to obtain that consent. This process ensures that parents are aware of and approve their child's use of our service.

3. Parental Consent Process for Minors (Ages 13-17)

If a student indicates they are between 13 and 17 years old during the onboarding process, the following steps are taken to obtain parental consent:

  1. Student Submits Parent Email: The student is prompted to provide their parent's (or legal guardian's) email address. This email address is used solely for the purpose of obtaining consent.
  2. Consent Request Email to Parent: We send an email to the parent's provided email address from [email protected]. This email explains what Shrutam Research is, what data we collect from their child, and requests their consent for their child to use the service.
  3. One-Click Consent Link: The parent email contains a unique, one-click consent link. By clicking this link, the parent provides their verifiable consent for their child to use Shrutam Research and for us to collect and process their child's personal information as described in our Privacy Policy.
  4. Consent Link Expiry: The consent link is valid for 30 days. If consent is not provided within this timeframe, the child's account will remain inactive.
  5. Account Activation: Only after the parent clicks the consent link will the child's Shrutam Research account be fully activated (is_active=TRUE in our database), allowing the child to access and use the full features of the service.

4. What Information We Collect from Minors (Ages 13-17, with Parental Consent)

Once verifiable parental consent is obtained, we collect the same types of information from minors aged 13-17 as we do from adult users of Shrutam Research. This information is collected solely to provide the personalized scholarship and research matching service and its AI-powered features. The data collected includes:

  • At Sign-up: Email address (for account identification), IP address, and user-agent (for fraud prevention on magic-link).
  • During Onboarding Wizard (Optional, Student-Controlled):
    • First and last name
    • Date of birth (already collected for age check)
    • Grade level (9-12)
    • ZIP code, state, high school name
    • Intended college major, GPA (unweighted + weighted), AP / SAT / PSAT test scores
    • Extracurriculars, achievements, target colleges (free-text)
    • Heritage tags (multi-select, OPTIONAL – unlocks heritage scholarships)
    • Languages spoken
    • Household income bracket (optional, only used for need-based matching)
    • First-generation college status (optional)
    • Writing sample (used for AI voice-preservation when drafting cold emails)
  • Computed Data: A 768-dimensional vector embedding of the student's profile, used for semantic matching to opportunities. This is stored in our own secure database and never shared externally.
  • Generated by AI Features: AI-drafted cold-email text, AI essay critique, AI application strategy advice, and student's answers to AI-asked questions (stored linked to outreach drafts).

For a complete description of data collected, please refer to the "Data Collected on research.shrutam.com (Research product)" section of our Privacy Policy.

5. How We Use and Share Information from Minors

We use and share information collected from minors (with parental consent) in the same ways described in our general Privacy Policy. Specifically:

  • To Provide the Service: To match students with scholarships and research programs, provide AI tools, and personalize their experience.
  • With Sub-processors: We share data with our sub-processors (Resend for emails, Google Cloud/Vertex AI for LLM processing, Cloudflare for network services) as necessary to operate the service. Please see the "How We Share Your Information (Our Sub-processors)" section in our Privacy Policy for important details regarding Google Gemini API's data usage.
  • We DO NOT:
    • Sell personal information of minors.
    • Use personal information of minors for targeted advertising.
    • Create commercial profiles of minors.
    • Share personal information of minors with scholarship organizations (students apply directly).

6. Parental Rights

Parents (or legal guardians) of minors using Shrutam Research have the following rights:

  • Review Your Child's Information: You have the right to review the personal information we have collected from your child. To do so, please contact us at [email protected].
  • Request Deletion of Your Child's Information: You can request that we delete your child's personal information. Upon such a request, we will deactivate the child's account and delete their data within 30 days.
  • Withdraw Consent: You have the right to withdraw your consent for the further collection or use of your child's personal information at any time. You can do this by emailing [email protected] or by clicking the unsubscribe link provided in the original parental consent email. If you withdraw consent, we will deactivate the child's account and delete their data within 30 days.
  • Refuse Further Collection or Use: You can refuse to permit the further collection or use of your child's personal information.

To exercise any of these parental rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We may ask for reasonable verification of your identity as the child's parent or legal guardian before fulfilling your request.

7. Data Retention Specific to Minors

If a parent withdraws consent for their child's account, or if a minor's account is otherwise deactivated or deleted, we will delete the child's personal data within 30 days. Our general data retention policies, as outlined in our Privacy Policy, also apply to minors' data, including auto-deletion for inactive accounts after 24 months and backup retention for 30 days (encrypted at rest).

8. Changes to This Children's Privacy Notice

We may update this Children's Privacy Notice from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new notice on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this notice periodically.

Questions about our children's privacy practices? Contact us at [email protected].