What’s the difference between informational vs promotional newsletters?

Marketing emails to minors require verifiable parental consent in most jurisdictions, with the age threshold and verification requirements varying by location. In the US, COPPA requires parental consent for collecting personal information from children under 13, including email addresses. GDPR sets the threshold at 16 for most purposes, though member states can lower it to 13. These laws recognize that children cannot meaningfully consent to data collection and marketing.

Verification of parental consent presents practical challenges for email marketers. COPPA's "verifiable" standard means you need more than a checkbox claiming parental permission. Acceptable methods include signed consent forms, credit card verification, video conferencing, or knowledge-based authentication. The burden of implementing proper verification leads many marketers to simply avoid collecting data from children entirely.

Age-gating through self-declaration provides limited protection. Asking visitors to confirm they're over 13 or 16 before signup may satisfy minimal compliance in some contexts but doesn't constitute robust verification. If your product or service attracts minors, invest in proper age verification and parental consent mechanisms. Children deserve special protection online, and building your marketing practices around that principle keeps you both compliant and ethical.