Anthropic has updated its terms of service to prohibit users under 18 from accessing its AI products, a move that drew swift pushback from researchers and developers on May 25. Stability AI co-founder Emad Mostaque said he initially assumed the policy targeted underage researchers — noting there are “some darn good AI researchers in that age bracket.” Anthropic researcher Adrien Ecoffet offered the sharpest critique, arguing the ban would deprive teenagers who lack adult support at home or school of “our era’s greatest source of information,” and called the timing suspicious: Anthropic has virtually no consumer business yet is advocating restrictions at a moment when legislators are considering broader under-18 AI bans — making it “hard not to see this more as a ploy to harm competitors.”
Seán Ó hÉigeartaigh added a broader concern, noting that while parts of Anthropic’s policy work are meticulously evidence-based, this decision appears to reflect “strong personal views by leadership” without equivalent scrutiny — a problem given the company’s influence on national and international AI policy. Supporters of parental controls acknowledged a middle ground might exist but warned an outright ban goes too far. Thread sentiment ran 57% negative overall, with critics labelling the policy paternalistic, anti-competitive, or both.