What age can my child use Gemini? It depends on the country

Search for Gemini's minimum age and almost every quick answer says 13. Across much of Europe that is wrong. The age follows the country you are in, and neighbouring countries can be three years apart.

Gemini has no age of its own, it inherits the Google Account's

Using Gemini with a personal or school account requires a Google Account. How old you have to be to manage your own Google Account is set by Google country by country, following local data protection law. Gemini simply inherits that number. With a work account the minimum is 18, with no exceptions.

The minimum age, country by country

• Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Luxembourg and Germany: 16
• France, Denmark, Greece and the Czech Republic: 15
• Spain, Italy, Austria and Cyprus: 14
• Portugal, Switzerland and the United Kingdom: 13
• South Korea: 14, Vietnam: 15

One rule explains the whole list: Google names the countries with a higher age, and 13 applies everywhere else. Portugal, Switzerland and the UK are on 13 not because of a rule of their own, but because they are not on that list.

What this means at home

A 15 year old in Lisbon can hold her own account and use Gemini. The same 15 year old cannot in Dublin or Amsterdam, where she is a year short. If your family has moved, or your teenager uses an account created in another country, the country that counts is the account's, not your address.

Below the age limit there is a legal route, and it is not fudging the date of birth: a supervised account set up by a parent through Family Link. One catch matters here and almost nobody knows it: you cannot reach the Gemini web app with an account managed by Family Link. Parents can also switch off access to the Gemini apps entirely for children under the applicable age.

Why ChatGPT and Gemini give different answers

ChatGPT asks for 13 everywhere, plus a parent's permission between 13 and 18. Gemini asks for your country's age. So a 15 year old in Ireland may use ChatGPT with your permission and cannot open an account for Gemini. Two assistants doing much the same job under two different rules. That is why this cannot be settled at home once and for all, only service by service.