We are all familiar with age ratings and limitations from our everyday lives. Ratings for movies or games tell parents if the media is suitable for children. Alcohol and tobacco are not sold to people under 18. And anyone who wants to access pornography on the internet must confirm that they are over 18. The purpose of all these regulations is to protect adolescents from influences that could negatively affect their development. However, other reasons are decisive when setting the minimum age on digital platforms. 

Why do internet platforms specify a minimum age? 

The minimum age is usually specified in the general terms and conditions of the services. The companies state it there to comply with their obligations in the area of the protection of minors. This is because various laws prohibit the processing of children's personal data. These include the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), for example, or they stipulate that platforms must obtain parental consent when children use them. This is the case, for example, with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) from the USA, where no personal data of children under 13 years of age may be processed without parental consent.

These laws protect the rights of children to protect their online privacy. However, they have a major disadvantage for companies: implementing reliable age verification processes involves a lot of effort and expenses. In addition, most services pursue a business model in which the processing of personal data plays an important role. Therefore, the services are in a dilemma: on the one hand, they must comply with applicable law, otherwise they face legal consequences and fines. On the other hand, they do not want to use age verification systems and forgo revenue. The pragmatic solution for companies is therefore to set a minimum age.

The general terms and conditions specify, among other things, that a service may only be used from the age of 13, for example. From that point on, the company pretends that there are no people under 13 on the platform. Anyone under 13 who uses the service anyway is in breach of the general terms and conditions.

Why is the minimum age different in some cases? 

As a rule, the popular internet platforms have a minimum age of 13 years, 16 years or 18 years. The different platforms use different laws as a basis.

• Minimum age of 13: Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, for example. These services are guided by the COPPA law from the USA. This law stipulates, for example, that platforms must obtain the consent of a parent or guardian before they are allowed to process children's data. According to COPPA, a child is any person under the age of 13.
• Minimum age of 16: WhatsApp, for example. This age limit is based on the European GDPR. In the GDPR, similar requirements are set as in COPPA. For example, that services must obtain the consent of the parent or guardian. However, the age limit set in the GDPR is 16.
• Minimum age of 18: For example, YouTube, Netflix and Spotify. The services listed here generally set 18 as the minimum age. However, younger people are allowed to use them with the permission of their legal guardians. It is not entirely clear why exactly these services have opted for a minimum age of 18. Possibly, it is because these platforms offer content that may not be made available to people under 18. For example, a movie with a 18-year rating on Netflix.

Does the minimum age actually protect children and young people? 

The minimum ages defined by law (13 and 16) were originally intended to protect children and young people. The laws were supposed to lead platforms to take better care of their underage users, for example by protecting their privacy and not exploiting their trust. Unfortunately, the laws have not had the desired effect. Providers responded to the laws by excluding minors from using their services in the terms and conditions or by making parents responsible by referring to consent.

Does the minimum age provide good guidance for parents? 

The minimum age in digital services is not an educational assessment. It results from legal requirements, especially in the area of data protection. Therefore, the minimum age specified in the general terms and conditions is usually not a meaningful orientation for carers. If a service specifies 13 as the minimum age, this does not mean that the service has been tested and recommended for children over 13. Conversely, services with a minimum age of 16 are not per se unsuitable for younger users in terms of content. Parents should therefore inform themselves about the content and the possible risks of using the service before deciding for or against it.

How can I decide when a service is appropriate for my child? 

Unfortunately, there is no simple and universal answer to this question. Rather, it depends on the child's stage of personal development and sense of responsibility. It plays a significant role whether parents set the services safely together and discuss risks with their children and establish rules of conduct. It is also an important factor whether children use their devices unsupervised or under the supervision of their legal guardians.

Our checklist "Is my child ready for their own smartphone?" helps parents assess whether their child has already developed the necessary skills for a safe smartphone use.

If you allow children to use online platforms, keep the following in mind:

• Set up the account together with your child. Pay special attention to privacy and security. Show the options for reporting and blocking. Instructions for secure settings for many web offerings and devices can be found at www.medien-kindersicher.de and www.saferinternet.at/privatsphaere-leitfaeden for the German-speaking audience.
• Establish clear rules for use. These should cover both content aspects (e.g. do not reveal private details, do not offend, do not distribute inappropriate content or pictures and videos of others) and rules for the duration of use, e.g. set a daily maximum duration of use and define media-free times in everyday life, to achieve optimal balance between on-screen and off-screen time. Www.mediennutzungsvertrag.de (only available in German) can help you negotiate these rules together.
• Stay in contact with your child. Inquire regularly about what your child is doing and experiencing on the internet. This way you will know if there are problems and can help. On the other hand, you can also notice that your child may no longer need some protective settings over time and adjust accordingly.
• Familiarise your child with offers of help. No matter how good the parent-child relationship is, it can always happen that a child does not confide in his or her parents out of fear or shame. In this case, children should be aware of anonymous, free and non-binding support services. In Germany, these include the Nummer gegen Kummer, JUUUPORT and jugend.support.

More resources from klicksafe 

• An overview of the different minimum ages for popular services can be found on this page.
• In the klicksafe shop there are many flyers and brochures on the topic of safe social media use especially for young people, parents, and educational professionals.
• You can also find more information in the klicksafe topical area on media education.

Find out more about the work of the German Safer Internet Centre, including their awareness raising, helpline, hotline and youth participation services – or find similar information for other Safer Internet Centres throughout Europe.