Ancestry's services are not intended for children under 13, and Ancestry states it does not knowingly collect data from children under 13 without parental consent.
This analysis describes what Ancestry'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
Family history and DNA services may appeal to younger users or be used with family involvement. Understanding the age restriction and parental consent requirements is important for families using these services.
California residents lose direct navigation to the CCPA-mandated 'Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information' disclosure page from Ancestry's privacy footer. While California law requires the compa…
Children under 13 are not permitted to use Ancestry services without parental consent, and parents who believe a child's data has been collected can request deletion by contacting privacy@ancestry.com.
How other platforms handle this
Our Services are not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without parental consent, we will take steps to delete such information. In some juris...
The Waze App is not intended for use by children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13 (or the applicable age of digital consent in your jurisdiction, which may be higher, such as 16 in certain EU member states). If we become aware that we have collected...
Our services are not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13 without parental consent. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under the age of 13 without parental consent, we wil...
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"Our services are not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without parental consent. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without parental consent, we will delete that information as soon as possible. Parents or guardians who believe we may have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13 may contact us at privacy@ancestry.com.— Excerpt from Ancestry's Ancestry Privacy Statement
(1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision engages the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), enforced by the FTC. COPPA requires verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13. The FTC has actively enforced COPPA against consumer-facing platforms. (2) GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Low to medium. The policy's COPPA compliance language is standard. However, the nature of Ancestry's services (family trees, DNA matching) creates practical risk that minors may use the platform or appear in other users' family trees, which could result in incidental collection of minor-related data. (3) JURISDICTION FLAGS: COPPA applies federally in the US. Some states have enacted additional children's online privacy protections (California's Age-Appropriate Design Code) that may impose additional obligations on Ancestry's platform design and data practices affecting minors. (4) CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: If Ancestry shares data with third parties that may include minor-related information derived from family trees or DNA matching, vendor agreements should address COPPA compliance obligations. (5) COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Compliance teams should review technical and operational controls for age verification and assess whether family tree features or DNA matching could result in incidental collection or processing of children's data in ways that trigger COPPA obligations beyond what the policy describes.
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Family history and DNA services may appeal to younger users or be used with family involvement. Understanding the age restriction and parental consent requirements is important for families using these services.
Children under 13 are not permitted to use Ancestry services without parental consent, and parents who believe a child's data has been collected can request deletion by contacting privacy@ancestry.com.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 9 platforms. See the full comparison.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Ancestry.