Minimum age Gmail account

[Cloggie]

Why is there a minimum age of creating a Gmail account - https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/1350409?hl=en ?

 

My son is now 7 years old, uses Google to 'study', can setup VPN connections with Hamachi so he can play Minecraft with his friends, looks Youtube, plays online games etc. etc.

 

When I look over his shoulder when he looks Youtube and plays games he will see commercials for Viagra, lubricants and sometime 'sexy videos' and IS videos BUT when I wanted to create a Gmail account (so I hope these commercials and Youtube items are blocked) he has to wait another 5 more years....

 

Now I have created a Gmail account with a wrong year of birth but of course that will NOT solve the problem but at least he can use Youtube and watch and save his favorite channels.

 

To go back to my question, why is the minimum age 13 years? 

[Oxx]

US COPPA law.  Any company that collects information on children under 13 must comply with the FTC requirements.  Google has decided it just isn't worth the hassle.

 

More on the law at http://www.coppa.org/comply.htm

[ChristianBlessing]

In addition to COPPA in the US, some European nations have even higher age limits, such as Spain at 14, and the Netherlands at 16.


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[Cloggie]

Understand, thanks for your reply.

 

To give you an idea how his YouTube screen looks like at the moment, see picture. 

 

Again, if he would have a gmail profile that would say "7 years old" it would be simple (in my opinion) to ban such commercials.

 

Installed AdBlocker so now it's gone as well bud still think that an profile with his age would be a better solution.

[Oxx]

3 minutes ago, Cloggie said:

bud still think that an profile with his age would be a better solution.

 

Google isn't a search company, or an email provider, or a charity, but an advertising company.  They make the large bulk of their money from advertisements.  7 year old children aren't typically large spenders, so aren't Google's target market, so Google doesn't accommodate them.  So, from Google's point of view, this is not "a better solution".