Online shopping — at what age are your children allowed to shop online?

Children and adolescents grow up with their parents shopping online. Early on, children browse on their own and get to know the advantages of online shopping — quickly by clicking. What should you consider when children want to shop online? Basically, the same laws and rules apply to children when shopping online or in the local shop.

Anyone who has reached the age of majority has unlimited legal capacity. Children under the age of seven, on the other hand, are legally incompetent and may neither shop nor conclude contracts on their own. Children and young people between the ages of seven and seventeen may only make purchases and conclude contracts with their parents’ consent. If you as parents have not consented to a transaction, whether before or after the fact, the transaction is invalid.

There is an exception according to the so-called pocket money section. Pursuant to that section, children and young people are allowed to make smaller purchases with their pocket money. If your children get pocket money, for example, downloading a paid game for the smartphone is fine. However, for higher amounts, i.e. larger transactions, for subscriptions or instalments, this section does not apply. Such contracts will only become effective if you agree as a parent. If you do not agree, the provider is not entitled to the money. For children under the age of seven, your consent does not help, the contracts are ineffective in any case.

On most online shopping platforms, the button "order subject to payment" is clearly recognisable. But there are also providers without this clearly recognisable notice and a purchase contract concluded in this way is generally invalid.

Look closely at which websites your children (want to) shop on. If necessary, show them suitable platforms. Shopping together in a privacy-friendly way can be the best thing to do- both online and offline.