Can you buy crypto under 18?

In most cases you cannot buy crypto under 18 on your own. The big exchanges limit their services to adults in their user terms, and their identity checks block most minors. There is no single law that bans young people from owning crypto, but the companies that sell it set the age limits, and parents are often the route in.

Can you use Coinbase under 18?

No. Coinbase's US user agreement, last updated July 22, 2026, says you must be at least 18 and live in the United States to use its services. Kraken's global terms require users to be old enough to form a binding contract where they live, which Kraken says is 18 in the US. Greenlight, a family finance app, notes that exchanges' KYC checks typically stop minors, who often lack government ID in their own name.

Opening an account with false details, or using a parent's identity, breaks these terms. An exchange that discovers it can freeze or close the account.

Can you have a crypto wallet under 18?

Technically, a self-custody wallet is just software that creates keys on a device, and it does not ask for ID. Contractually, it is a different story. The difference between wallet types is explained in custodial vs non-custodial wallets.

Can you use Phantom wallet under 18?

Phantom's terms of use, updated March 17, 2026, say you may use its site and features if you are of the age of majority where you live, or older if local law requires. Phantom says some features, such as its Phantom Cash product, may involve identity checks by third parties. Our guide on what Phantom wallet is explains the app itself.

A self-custody wallet also has no help desk. If the recovery phrase is lost or stolen, no company can restore the funds.

How do custodial accounts for minors work?

In the US, a parent or other adult can open a custodial account under the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) or the older Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA). FINRA explains that the child owns the assets from the moment of the gift, while an adult custodian manages them until the child reaches the age of majority. At that point the custodian must hand the property over.

Vanguard notes that gifts to these accounts cannot be taken back, that the age when custody ends depends on state law, and that its custodial accounts hold mutual funds, stocks, bonds and ETFs. That is why crypto exposure for minors, where it exists, often comes through funds rather than coins. Our guide to Bitcoin ETFs vs owning bitcoin explains that difference.

Greenlight adds that some parents keep crypto in their own account and set part of it aside for a child. In that case the parent, not the child, is the legal owner.

Rules differ by country and change often. Check the platform's terms or a qualified professional for your own situation.