Facebook age requirement: what parents should know

• ✓Official rating above age 7
  App Store: 13+
• ✓Contact with other players or strangers
  Friend requests, Groups, Messenger
• ✓Purchases with real money
  Stars and Supporter subscriptions
• –Paid random items
  None found
• –Violence or scary content in rating descriptors
  No violence or horror listed
• ✓Government lawsuits, fines, or safety warnings
  State AG settlement; New Mexico verdict, Meta to appeal

Each flag is a yes-or-no fact from the sources on this page. The number is a count of flags, not a safety score. How we count.

Checked October 2026. Ratings and settings change; check the official source before you decide. What do these ratings mean?

Facts for parents, not medical or legal advice. If you're worried about your child, talk to your pediatrician.

What is Facebook?

Short answer: A social network owned by Meta Platforms, with posts, photos, Groups, Marketplace, Live video, and messaging through Messenger.

Meta also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, and makes Messenger Kids for younger children.

Facebook age requirement: the facts

Short answer: It's rated 13+, and teens 13–17 get Teen Accounts.

• App Store: 13+, with infrequent profanity, mature or suggestive themes, alcohol and drug references, sexual content or nudity, and weapons.
• Teen Accounts (announced April 2025): audience set to Friends; messages only from friends or existing connections; mature search terms blocked; Live off by default, and under-16s need a parent to turn it on; a 60-minute reminder; sleep mode from 10pm to 7am. Parents with supervision can set daily limits.
• Australia: covered by the under-16 minimum age since December 10, 2025.
• Purchases: Stars to tip creators and Supporter subscriptions.

Has Facebook been sued?

Short answer: Yes, and Meta disputes the claims.

In August 2026, Meta and 51 attorneys general announced a settlement of the 2023 multistate lawsuit over child safety. Meta would pay up to about $17 billion over 10 years and add defaults for under-18s. Legal-news outlets (MLex, Mealey's) report a federal judge entered the consent judgment on August 26; Meta admits no liability, and as of October 2026 we couldn't confirm when the changes take effect.

In New Mexico, a jury found in March 2026 that Meta violated the state's Unfair Practices Act; Meta says it will appeal. Meta is also challenging the FTC's authority to tighten its 2020 order; as far as we found, that's still pending.

The habit kids may copy: sharing before checking

On a feed, a post can be shared with one tap, before anyone checks if it's true.

Try tonight: true or made up?

Play a quick game: say three things about your day, one of them made up. Your child guesses, then asks you: "True or made up? How do we know?" Swap roles. In our program, this is the lesson "True or Made Up": checking a fear against the facts.

What the research says

A 2022 meta-analysis of 87 studies with about 159,000 children ages 12 and under found that more screen time was linked to slightly more behavior problems; the link was small and doesn't show cause and effect. More in screen time and child development.

What is the Facebook age requirement?

Apple's App Store rates Facebook 13+, and Meta's Teen Accounts apply to users ages 13–17.

Is Facebook safe for kids?

It's rated 13+ for mature themes, sexual content, and drug references. Teen Accounts limit messages to friends and turn Live off by default.

Can parents supervise a teen's Facebook account?

Yes. With supervision, parents can set daily time limits; Teen Account defaults also include a 60-minute reminder and sleep mode.

Is there a Facebook for kids under 13?

Meta makes Messenger Kids, a messaging app rated 4+ in which parents manage the contact list.

More from “Is it good for kids?”