You must be at least 18 years old to create a 23andMe account and use the services, though parents or legal guardians may purchase and manage testing for minors.
This analysis describes what 23andMe'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 functions as an eligibility requirement that defines the authorized user population for 23andMe's service. This establishes a gatekeeping mechanism tied to legal capacity and regulatory compliance with laws governing genetic testing and health information.
The updated Terms now apply only to users who live outside the United States, Canada, EEA, UK, and Switzerland, or who access the Services from outside those regions. US, Canadian, EEA, UK, and Swiss users are directed to region-specific Terms instead. Additionally, when terms for a specific Service conflict with the main Terms, the specific Service terms now govern that portion of your use rather than the main Terms controlling. The mandatory arbitration provision remains in the document but is no longer prominently featured at the very beginning of the Terms.
View change record →The updated Terms of Service now apply exclusively to users in the United States, narrowing the geographic scope from the prior version that addressed users in multiple regions. The terms now contain a prominently featured mandatory arbitration provision that requires disputes to be resolved through individual arbitration on an individual basis rather than through jury trials or class action lawsuits. This means that if a user has a dispute with 23andMe, the updated terms require arbitration as the method of resolution instead of traditional litigation. Additionally, if a user purchases additional services, the main Terms of Service (including the arbitration provision) will control any conflicting terms from those additional services. You can review the complete updated Terms of Service through the link provided in the document.
View change record →The updated terms now apply only to users who live outside or access services outside the United States, Canada, EEA, UK, and Switzerland. Previously, the terms applied to US-based users. The terms also clarify that when service-specific terms conflict with the general Terms of Service, the service-specific terms will govern that particular service rather than the general terms controlling all conflicts. This means users of additional services may operate under different dispute resolution and governance procedures depending on which service they are using.
View change record →Parents who purchase genetic testing for their minor children are agreeing on those children's behalf to have highly sensitive biological data collected, processed, and potentially used for research — a decision that cannot be undone as the child grows up.
How other platforms handle this
The Meta Products are not directed to children. Access to or use of Meta Products by anyone under the age of 13 is not allowed. If you are based in the EU, you must be at least 16 years old, or the minimum age in your country if it is higher than 16, to use or access Meta Products, unless your count...
The End User Services are only for your personal use. You must not, and must not allow others to: Use the End User Services for a commercial or business purpose or in any way other than your own personal purposes;
The Netflix service and any content accessed through it are for your personal, non-commercial use only and may not be shared with anyone outside of your household, unless, in countries where this feature is available, you purchased an Extra Member Account.
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"You are at least 18 years old— Excerpt from 23andMe's 23andMe Terms of Service
The handling of minors' genetic data raises COPPA compliance considerations and may engage state-level genetic privacy statutes. Institutional buyers should review whether parental consent mechanisms satisfy applicable children's privacy standards and whether research use opt-out is available and clearly presented for minor accounts.
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The age restriction functions as an eligibility requirement that defines the authorized user population for 23andMe's service. This establishes a gatekeeping mechanism tied to legal capacity and regulatory compliance with laws governing genetic testing and health information.
Parents who purchase genetic testing for their minor children are agreeing on those children's behalf to have highly sensitive biological data collected, processed, and potentially used for research — a decision that cannot be undone as the child grows up.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by 23andMe.