Users under 13 are not allowed to use Headspace at all. Teenagers aged 13 to 17 may use it only if a parent or guardian agrees to the terms. You must be 18 to purchase a subscription.
This analysis describes what Headspace'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
Minors using a mental health and meditation platform need clear protections; the terms create a framework but enforcement relies on users self-reporting age, and the platform's ability to verify parental consent is limited.
Interpretive note: The document asserts age restrictions contractually but does not describe technical verification mechanisms; COPPA and GDPR compliance depends on implementation details not visible in the terms text.
Renamed from 'Age Restriction & Parental Consent'; previous version had no excerpt while current version clarifies three tiers: under 13 (prohibited), 13-17 (requires parental consent), and 18+ (unrestricted).
View full change record →Children under 13 are excluded from the platform, and teens aged 13 to 17 require parental involvement, but the terms do not describe a technical age verification or parental consent mechanism, which means compliance depends on user honesty at signup.
How other platforms handle this
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.
Our services are restricted to users who are 18 years of age or older. We do not permit users under the age of 18 on our platform and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you suspect that a user is under the age of 18, please use the reporting mechanism available...
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 at least 18 years old to subscribe to our Products. If you are under 13, please do not use our Products. If you are between 13 and 17, you may use our Products only with the involvement of a parent or guardian who agrees to be bound by these Terms.— Excerpt from Headspace's Headspace Terms and Conditions
1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) prohibits collecting personal data from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. The FTC enforces COPPA and has issued guidance and enforcement actions against platforms that fail to implement adequate age verification and parental consent mechanisms. For users aged 13 to 17, COPPA does not directly apply but state laws in some jurisdictions impose additional child privacy protections. GDPR Article 8 sets the age of digital consent at 16 for most EU member states (with allowance for member states to lower this to 13), requiring verifiable parental consent for users below that threshold. 2) GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. The terms prohibit access by users under 13 and require parental involvement for users 13 to 17, but the document does not describe technical age verification or consent collection mechanisms. For a mental health platform that may collect sensitive personal data, the absence of a described verification mechanism creates COPPA compliance exposure if underage users access the service. FTC enforcement precedent in the edtech and wellness app space reflects active attention to this area. 3) JURISDICTION FLAGS: EU and UK users are subject to GDPR and UK GDPR age of consent provisions, which may require Headspace to implement age verification measures beyond a contractual self-attestation. California's Age-Appropriate Design Code (AB 2273) imposes additional design and data minimization obligations for platforms likely to be accessed by minors, which may apply to Headspace given its wellness and mental health positioning. 4) CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Schools or educational institutions considering Headspace as a student wellness resource should be aware that the consumer terms do not contemplate FERPA-compliant data handling and that COPPA obligations may apply. Separate institutional agreements would likely be required. 5) COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Headspace's age verification and parental consent implementation should be audited independently of the terms language. The California Age-Appropriate Design Code imposes obligations that apply by design and operation of the platform, not solely by contractual representation. GDPR verifiable parental consent requirements for EU users under the applicable age threshold should be confirmed as implemented in the onboarding flow.
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Minors using a mental health and meditation platform need clear protections; the terms create a framework but enforcement relies on users self-reporting age, and the platform's ability to verify parental consent is limited.
Children under 13 are excluded from the platform, and teens aged 13 to 17 require parental involvement, but the terms do not describe a technical age verification or parental consent mechanism, which means compliance depends on user honesty at signup.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 18 platforms. See the full comparison.
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