Calm requires users to be at least 16 years old, and users under the legal adult age in their country can only use the service with parental consent, with parents bearing responsibility for their child's activity.
This analysis describes what Calm'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 16-year minimum threshold is lower than the 13-year COPPA threshold in the US but may interact with stricter age requirements under GDPR, which sets a default age of digital consent at 16 (with member state variation between 13 and 16), and with the UK Age Appropriate Design Code.
Interpretive note: The interaction between the 16-year minimum and varying member-state GDPR consent ages, the UK Age Appropriate Design Code, and California's Age-Appropriate Design Code Act creates jurisdiction-dependent compliance obligations not fully resolved by the Terms' language alone.
Parents or guardians who allow minors to use Calm accept full responsibility for those users' activities on the Services, including any content posted and any subscription charges incurred, under the Terms' framework.
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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"You must be 16 years or older to use the Services. If you are under the age of majority where you live, you may only use the Services if your parent or guardian agrees to our Terms. Please read these Terms with them. If you are a parent or legal guardian of a user under the age of majority where you live, you are subject to these Terms and responsible for your child's activity on the Services.— Excerpt from Calm's Calm Terms of Service
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: The 16-year minimum age threshold engages GDPR Article 8, which sets the default age for digital consent at 16 but permits EU member states to lower it to a minimum of 13; the threshold also interacts with the UK Age Appropriate Design Code, which applies to services likely to be accessed by under-18s. In the US, COPPA applies to collection of personal information from children under 13; Calm's 16-year threshold exceeds the COPPA minimum but does not address the regulatory requirements applicable to 13-15 year old users in the US who fall below the service's stated eligibility threshold. The FTC enforces COPPA compliance. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. The 16-year threshold is consistent with GDPR's default age of consent for data processing and is a common choice for consumer wellness services operating internationally. However, the provision does not describe what age verification or consent mechanisms Calm uses to enforce this threshold in practice, which is a compliance gap in the disclosure. JURISDICTION FLAGS: UK's Age Appropriate Design Code requires services likely to be accessed by under-18s to implement specific design and data minimization standards regardless of the stated minimum age. California's Age-Appropriate Design Code Act imposes similar requirements for services likely to be accessed by minors under 18. EEA member states have varying digital consent ages between 13 and 16 that may affect whether the 16-year threshold creates compliance friction in specific countries. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Family plan provisions in section 4(b) permit minors under 18 to be added to a family subscription with a parent or guardian as the primary account holder, which creates a distinct age-related compliance consideration separate from the general 16-year minimum. Health plan or employer partners offering Calm access should assess whether their population includes dependents who may be minors. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Calm's age verification and consent capture mechanisms should be reviewed against UK Age Appropriate Design Code obligations and California's equivalent. The Terms do not describe any technical age gate, which may be relevant to regulatory expectations under these codes. Parental consent mechanisms for family plan minor users should be audited for adequacy under applicable law.
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The 16-year minimum threshold is lower than the 13-year COPPA threshold in the US but may interact with stricter age requirements under GDPR, which sets a default age of digital consent at 16 (with member state variation between 13 and 16), and with the UK Age Appropriate Design Code.
Parents or guardians who allow minors to use Calm accept full responsibility for those users' activities on the Services, including any content posted and any subscription charges incurred, under the Terms' framework.
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