When should my kid get social media?
Plain-English guidance, platform by platform, plus a four-question readiness test.
What the platforms say
TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Discord, WhatsApp: minimum age 13 (16 in parts of the EU). That’s a COPPA floor — not a developmental recommendation. A 13-year-old being COPPA-eligible does not mean your 13-year-old is ready.
Rough age-by-platform take
- WhatsApp / iMessage: age 10-12, with strict contact controls. Useful for family logistics.
- YouTube Kids / Supervised YouTube: age 6-12. Full YouTube: age 13+.
- Roblox: age 8+ with Account Restrictions. Full chat: 13+.
- Discord: age 13+ and only for named servers the parent knows.
- Snapchat: age 14+ at earliest. Family Center active.
- Instagram: age 14-15 at earliest, as a Teen Account.
- TikTok: age 14-15 at earliest, Family Pairing active.
- Facebook: mostly irrelevant for kids; Marketplace later.
- Reddit, X, Tumblr: age 16+ minimum. These are adult communities.
The readiness test
Before giving access, ask:
- Can my kid tell me if something weird happens, without fear of losing the app?
- Can they read a URL critically?
- Do they understand that “free” offers are a scam?
- Can they handle not getting a response to a message without spiraling?
If all four are no, wait a year and re-check.
When in doubt, wait
The kid “behind” their classmates on social media for six months is not at any social disadvantage worth mentioning. The kid introduced a year earlier has a statistically worse year.