Age guide
What age is YouTube ok for?
A self-managed YouTube account is usually for 13+, but Google’s country rules can be higher. Under the local account age, use YouTube Kids or a supervised Google account. For younger teens, Restricted Mode and comment controls matter most because recommendations can surface mature content.
Minimum age
YouTube’s stated minimum age is 13.
Local rules to check
- Platform minimums are a baseline. Local privacy or online-safety law can still require parental consent or a higher access age.
- EU/UK digital-consent thresholds vary by country: UK and Portugal 13; Italy and Spain 14; France 15; Germany 16.
- United States: COPPA rules apply under 13, and state social-media laws may add stricter account rules.
- Australia: covered age-restricted social media platforms must take steps to prevent under-16 accounts.
- A self-managed YouTube account follows Google Account country ages; for SafeSocials locales, Spain and Italy are 14+, France is 15+, Germany is 16+, and Portugal/UK use the 13+ baseline.
Why age matters here
- Minimum age is 13 — below that, the app isn’t designed for a child that age.
- Algorithmic recommendations can surface mature content beyond subscribed channels.
- A supervised Google account or YouTube Kids is recommended under 13.
If they do use YouTube — set these
- Link the platform's family-pairing / supervision tool to a parent account.
- Restrict who can comment, or disable comments from non-contacts.
- Disable livestreaming for the account.
- Enable restricted mode or the sensitive-content filter.
- Remove full name, school, age and identifiable photos from the public profile.
- Set daily screen-time or usage limits.
- Turn off personalized ads and limit data sharing.
Check your child’s actual setup
Run the free scanner for a setup score on YouTube and the exact settings to change.