A furious mother has publicly condemned tech behemoth Google, accusing it of sending a 'predatory' email directly to her 12-year-old son, instructing him on how to disable parental controls upon turning 13.
A Mother's Viral Accusation
Melissa McKay, a 46-year-old online safety advocate from Utah, shared a screenshot of the email her son received, which notified him he could 'graduate' from parental supervision and customise his Google account. McKay, a senior fellow for alliances and advocacy at the Family Policy Alliance, blasted the communication as 'grooming for engagement' and 'grooming for data'.
In a viral LinkedIn post and subsequent interview with The Times, McKay argued the decision should rest with parents, not the teenager. 'A trillion-dollar corporation is directly contacting every child to tell them they are old enough to "graduate" from parental supervision,' she wrote. 'It reframes parents as a temporary inconvenience to be outgrown.'
She described a 'growing tsunami of rage among parents' who feel disempowered by the necessity for children to be online for school and social activities. With over a decade of advocacy experience, McKay labelled Google's policy as 'among the most predatory corporate practices' she had witnessed.
Google's Policy and the Backlash
Google's help centre states that children managed via its Family Link service become eligible to manage their own Google account when they turn 13, the digital age of consent in many regions. The company sends an email to both the child and the supervising parent to inform them of this change. If the teen chooses to turn off supervision, they gain access to standard YouTube, can add payment methods, and make transactions.
Facing significant public outcry led by McKay's campaign, Google updated its settings. The company now requires parental approval before a teen can switch off the controls. Kate Charlet, Google's Head of Global Policy, stated on LinkedIn that the change ensures 'protections stay in place until both the parent and teen feel ready for the next step.'
While acknowledging this as a 'positive step', McKay told The Times it 'barely scratches the surface of what still needs to be fixed.' She contends that 13-year-olds are not adults and criticised age ratings in Google's Play Store as inaccurate.
Broader Context and Legislative Action
This incident highlights the ongoing tension between big tech platforms and parental responsibility. McKay is a key figure in this arena, having helped draft Utah's groundbreaking App Store Accountability Act. Signed into law by Governor Spencer Cox in April 2023, it is the first state law in the US to mandate that app store providers verify the age of all users and obtain verifiable parental consent for minors before downloads or purchases.
The law took effect in May 2023, but enforcement for app store providers is deferred until May 2026. McKay's advocacy underscores a growing movement demanding that corporations, as she forcefully concluded, 'stay the hell away from our kids.'
