App · Low risk
Is PayPal safe for your child?
Age guide
18+
We advise PayPal from age 18 and up. Overall risk 2/10 (low risk).
- 5-8
- PayPal is a financial service for adults and is not suitable or accessible for children in this age group.
- 9-12
- Children at this age should not have access to or use PayPal, as it involves managing real money and requires legal adult consent.
- 13-15
- Teenagers are not legally permitted to hold a PayPal account, as it requires users to be 18 years or older, and attempts to create one may lead to account closure.
- 16+
- Individuals aged 16 and 17 are still under the legal age for a PayPal account; they may sometimes use a parent's account with explicit permission and supervision, but this carries risks for the parent.
PayPal is an online payment system that facilitates electronic money transfers and serves as an electronic alternative to traditional paper methods like checks and money orders. It allows users to send and receive money securely.
- Age guide
- 18+
- Overall risk
- 2/10
- Violence
- 1/10
- Toxic behaviour
- 2/10
- Stranger contact
- 3/10
- Addiction risk
- 2/10
- Language
- 2/10
- Influence
- 2/10
What parents should know
PayPal is an online payment service for adults aged 18 and over, facilitating money transfers and online purchases. It is not designed for use by minors, and attempts by children to create accounts are against its terms of service. Parents should secure their own PayPal accounts with strong passwords and two-factor authentication, and educate children about financial scams.
What to do about PayPal
Free with a Parentwise account. The age-by-age verdict needs your child's age, which is why it lives behind the account.
- The age-by-age verdict
What we advise for under 8, 8-12 and 13+ - our age guide for PayPal is 18+, and the answer changes with your child's age. - The one setting to change tonight
The exact PayPal setting that cuts the most risk, with the steps to find it. - What to say
Word-for-word openers for talking about PayPal without a row. - Red flags to watch for
The signals in PayPal that mean it is time to step in.
PayPal age rating and parents guide: common questions
What age rating is PayPal?
Parentwise puts PayPal at 18+. We advise PayPal from age 18 and up. Overall risk 2/10 (low risk). Violence scores 1/10, language 2/10, stranger contact 3/10 and addiction risk 2/10.
Can a 10 year old use PayPal?
Not by default: we advise PayPal from 18+, so at 10 it needs your supervision and the settings changed first. Children at this age should not have access to or use PayPal, as it involves managing real money and requires legal adult consent.
Can a 12 year old use PayPal?
Not by default: we advise PayPal from 18+, so at 12 it needs your supervision and the settings changed first. Children at this age should not have access to or use PayPal, as it involves managing real money and requires legal adult consent.
Can a 13 year old use PayPal?
Not by default: we advise PayPal from 18+, so at 13 it needs your supervision and the settings changed first. Teenagers are not legally permitted to hold a PayPal account, as it requires users to be 18 years or older, and attempts to create one may lead to account closure.
Is PayPal appropriate for kids?
PayPal is an online payment service for adults aged 18 and over, facilitating money transfers and online purchases. Parentwise rates PayPal overall as low risk (2/10), with stranger contact at 3/10 and addiction risk at 2/10.
Is PayPal family friendly?
PayPal is one of the lower-risk titles we rate. It is not designed for use by minors, and attempts by children to create accounts are against its terms of service.
PayPal parents guide: what should a parent know first?
PayPal is an online payment service for adults aged 18 and over, facilitating money transfers and online purchases. The parts that most often catch parents out are stranger contact (3/10) and how hard it pulls for more time (2/10).
Is PayPal safe for kids?
We advise PayPal from age 18 and up. Overall risk 2/10 (low risk). It is not designed for use by minors, and attempts by children to create accounts are against its terms of service.
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Release and popularity data comes in part from RAWG, TVMaze (CC BY-SA) and Wikidata (CC0). Safety guidance is written by Parentwise.