Overview
- Melissa McKay of the Digital Childhood Institute shared screenshots of a Google email to her 12-year-old saying he was "almost 13" and explaining how to remove parental controls.
- Google’s help pages confirm that when a user turns 13, they can choose an unsupervised account without parental approval, with advance notice sent before the birthday.
- Parents responding online said their children received similar emails, with some describing household friction after the messages.
- Some commenters alleged Apple sent comparable notices at age 13, though those accounts are individual claims.
- The institute says it filed an FTC complaint in October over the policy, and reporting notes certain countries set higher ages, such as 14 to 16, for ending supervision.