A child’s exact age for giving valid consent to process their data depends on the law in the country or region, but it always falls in a set range and often still involves parents or guardians.

Very short answer

  • Globally, the “digital consent” age usually sits between 13 and 18.
  • Under many major privacy laws, children below that age need a parent or guardian to consent on their behalf.

Key ages in major privacy laws

General rule of thumb

Most modern privacy laws say that:

  • A child can only personally consent to data processing once they reach a specified “age of consent” for data.
  • Below that age , you must obtain verifiable parental or guardian consent before collecting or using their personal data.

European Union – GDPR

Under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

  • The default age at which a child can directly consent is 16.
  • EU member states can lower it to as low as 13 , and each country chooses its own exact age within 13–16.
  • Below the chosen age, you need explicit consent from a parent or guardian to process the child’s data when relying on consent as the legal basis.

Example: The UK, when it applied GDPR-style rules, set the child’s digital consent age at 13 for online services.

United States – COPPA and CCPA/CPRA

  • Under COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act), a child cannot give valid consent themselves if they are under 13 ; you must get verifiable parental consent to collect personal information from them.
  • Under California CCPA/CPRA , for selling or sharing personal data:
    • Children 13–16 can opt in (give their own consent) to the sale or sharing of their personal information.
* For children **under 13** , you need **parental consent** for sale or sharing.

Brazil – LGPD

  • Brazil’s LGPD ties the age of consent for data to the age of majority: 18.
  • Below 18, a parent or legal guardian must consent for the child’s data to be processed, and child data is treated as especially sensitive.

China – PIPL

  • China’s Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL) sets the child consent age at 14.
  • For children under 14 , consent must be obtained from parents or other legal guardians , and there are extra safeguards and “special rules” required for handling minors’ data.

Practical takeaways if you handle children’s data

If you are running a website, app, or service and want to know “at what age can a child give their consent for you to process their data?” the realistic answer is:

  • You must check the law of each country where your users live. Under EU rules, the required age can be anywhere between 13 and 16 , set by each state.
  • In the US , a child generally cannot consent themselves if under 13 , and you must involve parents in many situations even beyond that when selling or sharing data.
  • In Brazil , the child cannot personally consent until 18.
  • In China , the switch from parental consent to self-consent is 14.

Because these thresholds differ and enforcement is getting stricter (especially since around 2018–2025), serious services increasingly:

  • Build age-verification or age-assurance mechanisms (self-declaration, document checks, or other methods).
  • Use child‑friendly privacy notices with simple language, icons, and visuals so children actually understand what they are agreeing to.
  • Treat children’s data as high‑risk , applying extra security and limiting what is collected and shared.

Mini FAQ style recap

  • Is there one universal age worldwide?
    No. Laws set different ages, usually somewhere between 13 and 18 , and often require parental consent below that.
  • If I’m unsure which age applies?
    You should assume you need a parent or guardian’s consent whenever dealing with younger users, and then check the exact rules for your main user countries.

Bottom line: there is no single global age, but in many places a child can directly consent only from early to mid‑teens (13–16), and under that threshold you must rely on parental or guardian consent.

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Find out at what age a child can give consent for you to process their data, how this differs under GDPR, COPPA, CCPA, LGPD, and PIPL, and why 13–18 is the typical range.

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