---
slug: members-under-18
title: Members under 18 and the parent's agreement
summary: How a member under 18 joins a team with a parent's or guardian's agreement, what the parent decides, and what the team does and doesn't see.
journey: teams
level: team
role: admin
features: [team-under-18, parent-agreement, team-invitations]
last_checked: 2026-11-02
next: [set-up-media-centre, invite-members-seats-groups]
mcp_topics: [teams]
in_app: [/team/*/invitations, /team/*/members, /team/guardian/*]
questions: [Can under 18s join a team on exclusively.me?, How does parental consent work for a team?, What can a team see about a junior member?]
---
Young people can be in a team, with a parent's or guardian's agreement. When you invite someone under 18, you give us their parent's email address; the parent gets an email, reads exactly what the team will see, and agrees or says no. Until they agree, the young person isn't in the team. The parent can change their mind at any time, from the same page.

## Before you start

- You're the team's owner or an active admin.
- The parent's or guardian's email address, **from your own records**: never one the young person gives you.

## How we know someone is under 18

From their date of birth, which they give us, never you. Nobody sees it, the team included: a team sees an age group, never a date of birth. If we don't know it yet, we ask when they answer your invitation, and if they turn out to be under 18, Team HQ asks you for a parent's email then. Under 13s can't have an account at all, so they can't join a team.

## The steps

::: step Invite them with a parent's email
Invite them as you would anyone ([Invite members](/guides/invite-members-seats-groups)). For someone under 18, the invitation shows **Parent's or guardian's email**, marked Under 18. Type the parent's address and **Send invitation**. We keep only a fingerprint of that address, not the address itself, unless the parent later lets the team email them.
:::

::: step The parent decides
The parent gets an email from exclusively.me with a link to a page that says what the team will see: that their child is a member and which groups they're in, and anything else you asked for, like statistics. The parent ticks what they're happy with, each a separate choice: whether teammates can see their child in the member list, whether admins can see the child's email, whether admins can email the parent, and, where the team asks, whether their child can appear in the public media kit. Then **I agree** or **No thanks**.
:::

*Screen: The parent's page: what the team will see, the separate choices, then I agree or No thanks.*

::: step See where it stands
Until the parent answers, the invitation waits in **Invited**, and Overview lists any invitation that still needs a parent's email. The parent's yes is what finishes joining: from then on the young person is in Members, marked **Under 18**. A request the parent doesn't answer expires after two weeks, and you can send it again.
:::

*Screen: Members, with a junior marked Under 18.*

::: step Ask again, or ask a different parent
If the agreement is outstanding, open the member's ⋮ menu and press **Ask a parent** to send the email again, or to a different parent or guardian.
:::

## What the parent can do afterwards

The link in their email stays theirs. From it they can change any of their choices, and press **Withdraw my agreement** at any time: that ends the membership and frees the seat, and the account stays the young person's.

## Check it worked

The member shows in Members with **Under 18**, in the groups you chose. Their **Copy email** says *not shared* unless the parent allowed it.

## If something's different

### The parent says the email never came
Check the address, then use **Ask a parent** to send it again. It comes from exclusively.me, so it may be in spam or promotions.

### Can a junior's email be copied for team news?
Only if the parent allowed it. And the parent's own address only if the parent allowed that, separately.

### Will juniors see different guidance?
Campaigns in the message house can carry a note for members under 18, and their member view and their AI's post briefs include it.

## Why it's worth it

Parents see in plain words what the team will and won't see, and stay in control of it. Clubs get juniors on board properly, without collecting dates of birth or chasing paper forms.