Claude is only available to people over 18, Anthropic says

Anthropic has published a support article explaining how it verifies that people using Claude are over 18. The page, dated May 18, 2026 and filed under safeguards in the Claude Help Center, states that Claude, the consumer product, is only available to people over 18 years.

How the checks work

Users confirm they are 18 or over while setting up an account. When Anthropic's safety systems detect signals that someone may be under 18, the company asks the user to verify their age before they can continue using Claude, and it disables accounts based on indicators of minor activity.

Verification runs through Yoti, a third-party age verification platform; a link is provided in the notification email, and the account is reinstated if the user passes the check. The article does not detail which signals trigger a verification request.

Accepted age verification methods

Yoti offers three options. Facial age estimation uses a selfie, with no ID document required. ID verification requires a photo of a passport, driving licence or national ID card, uploaded from the device, and Yoti publishes a full list of supported documents with country-specific details. Users who already have Yoti's Digital ID app can instead share a verified "over 18" attribute from it.

How the data is handled

Anthropic states that Yoti is an independently audited age verification provider for SOC2 compliance. Selfies, document images and any personal data are deleted by Yoti as soon as the age is checked. Anthropic itself never sees the ID or the image; it receives only a pass/fail result and does not process or store personal data from the verification.

The article is listed in the Claude Help Center alongside related pages on installing Claude Desktop, using Claude Code on the web and a minimum age requirement access restriction.