When Children Become Adults: Should Biobanks Re-Contact?

Abstract

• Children’s samples are usually included with parental permission, and there is no clear guidance on whether participants should be re-contacted at maturity to obtain their permission for the continued use of their samples. • Respect for autonomy and protection of privacy are important arguments in favor of recontacting participants at maturity. • There are four re-contact policy designs that could be considered, ranging from a thin opt-out policy (participants can withdraw their samples, but the biobank does not recontact the participant) to a strict opt-in (samples will be destroyed when participants do not give their consent). • We suggest that biobanks adopt a thick opt-out as the default re-contact policy, which means that biobanks re-contact children at maturity and give them the opportunity to withdraw their samples.