Knowledge Base → Channels & domains → Privacy Ages — digital-consent age by country
Privacy Ages — digital-consent age by country
ℹ️ Informational — not legal advice. Informational, not legal advice. Digital-consent and related ages change and interact with sectoral rules; verify against primary law.
As of 2026-09-10. Headline = the digital-consent age for online/information-society services (GDPR Art. 8 / national equivalents). 🚩 = more than one privacy-relevant age; 🔶 = fast-moving / uncertain. Verify against primary law.
The digital-consent age is the age at which a person can consent to the processing of their personal data for online / information-society services — GDPR Art. 8 in the EU (Member States set it between 13 and 16), and national equivalents elsewhere. Many countries also set other privacy-relevant ages (age of majority, child-design-code thresholds, social-media minimum-age laws, marketing/profiling limits) — where more than one applies, it’s flagged 🚩.
Use the lookup to see every privacy age a country sets, or scan the overview below. Informational, not legal advice — these ages change and interact with sectoral and capacity rules; verify against primary law. See also [Children & Age Assurance].
Lookup
Pick a country to see every privacy-relevant age it sets; a 🚩 marks countries with more than one. Indicative — confirm against the primary source.
Overview — digital-consent age by country
EU/EEA
| Country | Digital-consent age | Privacy ages | Basis | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 14 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 + DSG (Datenschutzgesetz) §4(4) | ↗ |
| Belgium | 13 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 + Belgian Data Protection Act 2018, Art. 7 | ↗ |
| Bulgaria | 14 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 + Personal Data Protection Act | ↗ |
| Croatia | 16 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 (default retained) + Act on Implementation of the GDPR | ↗ |
| Cyprus | 14 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 + Law 125(I)/2018 | ↗ |
| Czech Republic | 15 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 + Act No. 110/2019 Coll. on Personal Data Processing, §7 | ↗ |
| Denmark | 13 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 + Danish Data Protection Act §6(3) | ↗ |
| Estonia | 13 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 + Personal Data Protection Act (set to the 13-year floor) | ↗ |
| Finland | 13 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 + Data Protection Act (1050/2018) §5 | ↗ |
| France 🔶 | 15 | 3 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 + Loi Informatique et Libertés Art. 45 (as amended) | ↗ |
| Germany | 16 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 (default retained) + national law (BDSG) | ↗ |
| Greece | 15 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 + Law 4624/2019 Art. 21 | ↗ |
| Hungary | 16 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 (default retained) + Act CXII of 2011 (Infotv.) | ↗ |
| Iceland | 13 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 (via EEA) + Act 90/2018 on Data Protection Art. 10 | ↗ |
| Ireland | 16 | 3 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 + Data Protection Act 2018 §31 | ↗ |
| Italy | 14 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 + Legislative Decree 196/2003 (Codice Privacy) Art. 2-quinquies | ↗ |
| Latvia | 13 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 + Personal Data Processing Law | ↗ |
| Liechtenstein | 16 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 (via EEA, default retained) + Data Protection Act (DSG) | ↗ |
| Lithuania | 14 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 + Law on Legal Protection of Personal Data | ↗ |
| Luxembourg | 16 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 (default retained) + Law of 1 August 2018 | ↗ |
| Malta | 16 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 + Data Protection Act (Cap. 586) | ↗ |
| Netherlands | 16 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 + UAVG (GDPR Implementation Act) Art. 5 | ↗ |
| Norway 🔶 | 13 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 (via EEA) + Personal Data Act 2018 §5 | ↗ |
| Poland | 16 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 + Personal Data Protection Act 2018, Art. 8 | ↗ |
| Portugal | 13 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 + Law 58/2019 Art. 16 | ↗ |
| Romania | 16 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 (default retained) + Law 190/2018 | ↗ |
| Slovakia | 16 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 (default retained) + Act No. 18/2018 Coll. | ↗ |
| Slovenia | 15 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 + Personal Data Protection Act (ZVOP-2) | ↗ |
| Spain 🔶 | 14 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 + LOPDGDD (Organic Law 3/2018) Art. 7 | ↗ |
| Sweden | 13 | 2 🚩 | GDPR Art. 8 + Data Protection Act (2018:218) | ↗ |
UK
| Country | Digital-consent age | Privacy ages | Basis | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 13 | 3 🚩 | UK GDPR Art. 8 + Data Protection Act 2018 s.9 | ↗ |
Europe (non-EU)
| Country | Digital-consent age | Privacy ages | Basis | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | no fixed age (capacity) | 2 🚩 | revFADP (nFADP, in force 1 Sep 2023) - no fixed statutory digital-consent age; capacity-based (Swiss Civil Code Art. 19) | ↗ |
| Turkey | no fixed age (capacity) | 2 🚩 | KVKK (Law No. 6698) - no fixed statutory digital-consent age; capacity-based under Turkish Civil Code | ↗ |
North America
| Country | Digital-consent age | Privacy ages | Basis | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | no fixed age (capacity) | 3 🚩 | PIPEDA - no fixed federal digital-consent age; meaningful consent based on capacity (OPC guidance). Quebec Law 25 sets 14. | ↗ |
| United States 🔶 | 13 | 3 🚩 | COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act) - verifiable parental consent for under-13 | ↗ |
Latin America
| Country | Digital-consent age | Privacy ages | Basis | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina 🔶 | 13 | 2 🚩 | PDPA (Law 25.326) + Civil Code; AAIP criteria treat ~13 as able to consent to some online processing | ↗ |
| Brazil | 12 | 2 🚩 | LGPD (Law 13.709/2018) Art. 14 - children under 12 need specific parental consent; adolescents 12-18 treated in best interest | ↗ |
| Mexico 🔶 | no fixed age (capacity) | 2 🚩 | LFPDPPP (2025 overhaul) - no fixed digital-consent age; minors' data processed in best interest, parental consent expected | ↗ |
Asia-Pacific
| Country | Digital-consent age | Privacy ages | Basis | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia 🔶 | no fixed age (capacity) | 3 🚩 | Privacy Act 1988 - no fixed statutory digital-consent age; capacity-based (OAIC guidance ~15) | ↗ |
| China | 14 | 2 🚩 | PIPL Art. 31 - personal information of minors under 14 is sensitive; requires guardian consent | ↗ |
| India 🔶 | 18 | 1 | DPDPA 2023 + DPDP Rules 2025 - 'child' = under 18; verifiable parental consent required | ↗ |
| Indonesia 🔶 | 18 | 1 | PDP Law (Law No. 27 of 2022) - special protection for children; parental consent for minors under 18 | ↗ |
| Japan | 15 | 2 🚩 | APPI - no explicit statutory age; PPC guidance treats ~15-16 as able to consent independently | ↗ |
| New Zealand | no fixed age (capacity) | 2 🚩 | Privacy Act 2020 - no fixed statutory digital-consent age; capacity-based | ↗ |
| Singapore | 13 | 2 🚩 | PDPA - PDPC guidance treats minors ~13+ as generally able to consent; younger need parental consent | ↗ |
| South Korea | 14 | 2 🚩 | PIPA - consent of a legal guardian required to process personal data of children under 14 | ↗ |
| Thailand 🔶 | 10 | 2 🚩 | PDPA (B.E. 2562/2019) + Civil and Commercial Code - parental consent tiers for minors | ↗ |
Africa
| Country | Digital-consent age | Privacy ages | Basis | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria 🔶 | 18 | 2 🚩 | NDPA 2023 + NDPR - parental/guardian consent required for children (under 18) | ↗ |
| South Africa | 18 | 1 | POPIA - 'child' = under 18; processing of children's personal information needs competent-person (guardian) consent | ↗ |
Middle East
| Country | Digital-consent age | Privacy ages | Basis | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 18 | 1 | PDPL (Royal Decree M/19) + Implementing Regulations - guardian consent for those lacking full legal capacity (under 18) | ↗ |
| United Arab Emirates 🔶 | 18 | 1 | Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 (PDPL) - minors (under 18) require guardian consent | ↗ |