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Short answer: In the United States, a parent can provide the verifiable consent that the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires before a covered service collects, uses, or discloses personal information from a child under 13. That consent is not a nationwide permission slip to open or keep a social-media account. The platform’s own age terms, the child’s state law, and current court orders may still prohibit the account or require a different approval process.
The practical question is therefore not simply “Did a parent say yes?” It is whether the child’s age, state of residence, service, data practices, and applicable law all permit the proposed account.
What COPPA actually allows a parent to consent to
COPPA is a federal children’s privacy law. Its definition is precise: “The term ‘child’ means an individual under the age of 13.” For a covered online service, the operator generally must obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting, using, or disclosing personal information from that child.
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In other words, COPPA regulates the operator’s handling of a child’s information. It does not create a general federal right for a child to join every social network. A service can comply with COPPA by obtaining verifiable consent and still refuse the account under its terms of service, or a state can separately prohibit the account.
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What “verifiable parental consent” means
The statute describes consent as a reasonable effort to ensure that a parent receives notice of the operator’s information practices and authorizes the collection, use, and disclosure of information before collection begins. The process must be more than an unsupported claim that the user is an adult.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has specifically warned that “The mere entry of an app store account number or password … does not provide sufficient assurance that the person entering the account or password information is the parent.” An app-store login, by itself, therefore should not be treated as proof that COPPA’s consent requirement has been met.
What changed in 2025 and 2026
The 2025 COPPA amendments added protections concerning internal disclosures, retention, and monetization of children’s data. Regulated entities were given until April 22, 2026, to comply. Those amendments strengthen privacy duties; they do not change COPPA into an account-eligibility statute.
In February 2026, the FTC issued an age-verification policy statement describing an enforcement-policy position for certain operators that collect information solely to determine age, and only when specified conditions are satisfied. That statement does not authorize a child to use every social platform with a parent’s approval, nor does it override a platform’s minimum-age rule or a state restriction.
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Can I legally let my 12-year-old make a social-media account?
There is no single yes-or-no answer for every service and state. A 12-year-old is a “child” under COPPA, so a covered operator must obtain compliant, verifiable parental consent before collecting, using, or disclosing the child’s personal information. But that federal privacy step does not require the operator to offer an account.
Check three separate questions:
- Does the service allow someone under 13? Read the platform’s current minimum-age and parental-consent terms. A private company may set an age floor higher than COPPA’s threshold.
- Does the child’s state allow the account? State social-media laws can ban accounts for some ages, require parental consent for others, or impose age-verification duties.
- Is the service’s consent process actually completed? If the service requires a particular verification method, follow that process rather than assuming that a parent’s informal permission is enough.
If any one of those checks fails, creating the account may violate the platform’s contract or state law even though a parent is willing to consent to data collection.
Does a parent’s permission override a platform’s age limit?
Usually, no. COPPA is a privacy framework, not a command that a platform must accept an under-13 user. A service can decide that its product is only for users 13 and older, or impose a stricter age and verification policy for safety, compliance, or business reasons.
Creating the account yourself does not automatically change the user’s age. If the account is for the child, the relevant facts remain the child’s age, the service’s rules, and the information the service collects. Entering an adult’s email address, payment details, or app-store credentials may identify the billing account holder without satisfying the platform’s age rule or COPPA’s verification standard.
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Parents should not misstate a child’s birth date to get around a service restriction. An inaccurate age can trigger account closure, loss of content, or disputes over whether the service obtained valid consent. Use the platform’s stated parental process, if one exists, and retain confirmation of what was authorized.
How state laws change the answer
State social-media regulation is an active patchwork of statutes and litigation. The same child may face different rules after moving between states, and a court order can change whether a statute is enforceable. The following examples illustrate the differences; they are not nationwide rules.
| Jurisdiction and status | Age or activity covered | What the rule does | Why the distinction matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida, after an October 2026 appellate ruling reported by the Associated Press | Children under 14; users aged 14 or 15 | Bans social-media accounts for children under 14 and requires parental consent for users 14 and 15. | A parent’s consent cannot authorize an account for a child below the ban’s age threshold. |
| Ohio, Sixth Circuit panel decision reported June 18, 2026 | Covered social-media use under 16 | Requires parental consent; a divided Sixth Circuit panel restored the restrictions while litigation continued. | The appellate posture and any later order determine whether and how the requirement is enforced. |
| Texas app-store law; Supreme Court declined to block enforcement while litigation continued | Minors downloading apps or making in-app purchases | Requires age verification and parental consent for the covered app-store activities. | The requirement may arise at download or purchase, even when the social service’s own account rule is different. |
These examples show why an answer must identify the child’s residence, age band, service definition, and the current injunction or appellate status. A law described in a news report can be amended, stayed, or interpreted differently by a later court. Verify the status that applies on the date you create or review the account.
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Under 13
COPPA’s child protections are central. For a covered service, obtain verifiable parental consent before the operator collects, uses, or discloses personal information. Then separately confirm that the platform accepts under-13 users and that the child’s state does not prohibit the account.
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Ages 13 through 15
The federal COPPA definition no longer treats the user as a “child” solely because of age, but a platform may still set a higher minimum age or require a parent’s approval. State laws can also impose consent requirements in this band. Florida’s reported rule, for example, requires parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds, while Ohio’s reported restrictions cover covered social-media use under 16.
Age 16 and older
Do not assume that turning 16 ends every state requirement. The applicable service definition, state statute, court order, and platform terms control. Texas’s app-store requirements, for example, focus on minors’ downloads and in-app purchases rather than simply setting one nationwide social-account age.
What parents should check before approving an account
- Confirm the child’s exact age. COPPA uses “under 13,” while state laws may use 14, 15, 16, or another threshold.
- Identify the state of residence. Read the law that applies where the child lives, not merely where the parent’s app-store account was created.
- Read the service’s current age terms. Look for the minimum age, whether parental consent is offered, and what happens if the service discovers an underage account.
- Determine what activity is involved. Opening an account, collecting profile information, downloading an app, and making an in-app purchase can trigger different rules.
- Use the service’s stated consent channel. Complete its verification steps and do not rely only on an app-store account number or password.
- Review the data notice. For an under-13 user, identify what information will be collected, why it is needed, how it is disclosed, and how long it is retained.
- Check current litigation status. For a state restriction, look for the latest appellate decision, injunction, or effective date rather than relying on an older article.
- Keep records. Save the consent confirmation, the date, the account holder’s state, and the version of the relevant terms.
Common situations and the likely legal issue
“I created the account with my email address.”
An adult email address does not by itself establish that the service accepts the child’s age or that COPPA consent was verified. The operator still needs a compliant process before collecting the child’s personal information, and state law may independently restrict the account.
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The FTC says that merely entering an app-store account number or password does not provide sufficient assurance that the person entering it is the parent. Follow the service’s designated consent procedure instead of treating the store login as conclusive proof.
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“The platform says 13, but my state requires consent until 16.”
Both rules can matter. The platform’s 13-plus term does not eliminate a state consent requirement for a 14- or 15-year-old, and parental consent under state law does not force the platform to admit a user below its own minimum age.
“The law was challenged in court.”
A lawsuit does not automatically suspend a statute. Determine whether a court issued an injunction, whether an appellate panel restored enforcement, and which parts of the law are currently effective. The Ohio and Texas examples demonstrate why a dated litigation update is essential.
When to obtain legal advice
This is general information, not individualized legal advice. Consult a lawyer licensed in the relevant state when an account is disputed, a school or organization requires access, a platform threatens removal, the child’s safety depends on continued access, or a state restriction is subject to active litigation. Bring the child’s age, residence, platform terms, consent records, and any notice from the service so the lawyer can evaluate the precise issue.
Bottom line for parents
Parental permission can satisfy COPPA’s consent requirement for covered data collection involving a child under 13, but it does not create a universal right to a social-media account. Account eligibility is a separate question controlled by the platform’s age terms and by state law. Before creating or approving an account, match the child’s age and residence to the service’s current rules, complete the required verification, and recheck court orders or effective dates when a state law is changing.
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