Online jobs for teens: what is legal at 13, 14, 15 and 16 in the US, UK and Europe

At what age can teens work in the US, UK and Europe

In the United States the federal rules are set by the Department of Labor. For most non-agricultural jobs the minimum age is 14. At 14 and 15 hours are limited: no more than 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week, up to 8 hours on a non-school day and 40 hours in a non-school week, and only between 7 am and 7 pm, extended to 9 pm from 1 June to Labor Day. At 16 and 17 hours are not limited federally, but hazardous jobs stay off-limits until 18. Many states add their own, stricter rules, and the stricter rule applies.

In the United Kingdom the general rule is that children can work part-time from 14, and in some areas the local council allows it from 13. During term time a 14 to 16 year old may work at most 12 hours a week, no more than 2 hours on a school day or on Sunday, and not before 7 am or after 7 pm. Some councils also require a work permit. Full-time work is possible only after the minimum school leaving age.

In Europe the details differ from country to country, but across the European Union the general minimum age for work is the end of compulsory schooling and at least 15, with limited exceptions for light work from 13 or 14. Young people under 18 get special protection from dangerous work, long hours and night work, and the exact limits depend on age and national law. Before a teen takes any job, it is worth checking the local rules, which are usually published by the national labour ministry.

Why most earning platforms require 18

International platforms sign an agreement with participants and pay them directly, so they make adulthood a mandatory condition, whatever the local labour rules say. Prolific allows only people over 18 with a verified account to take part. UserTesting requires you to be at least 18. uTest answers the question "I am under 18, can I join?" directly: no, only from 18.

On the freelance marketplace Upwork you can sign up at 18 or at the age of majority in your country, if that is higher. Trying to get round these rules, for example by entering the wrong date of birth, ends in a ban: platforms verify identity, and then your earnings may not be paid out.

Fiverr through a parent: one of the allowed options under 18

Fiverr is one of the few marketplaces whose rules mention teenagers directly. Your own account and contract are allowed from 18, while between 13 and 17 you may use the platform only through a parent’s or guardian’s account. Under 13 it is not allowed at all.

In practice this means an adult runs the account and the teenager does the work under their supervision: drawing covers, editing videos, building simple websites or translating. The money goes to the adult’s account. Fiverr keeps a 20% fee: the seller receives 80% of a completed order.

How to get paid if you are under 18

The main obstacle is not only the platform’s age limit but also the payout method. Under its terms, PayPal opens accounts only for adults. So international payouts for a teenager go through a parent’s account.

For everyday money there are accounts for young people. In the US, UK and most European countries many banks offer teen accounts and debit cards, usually opened with or linked to a parent. That lets a teenager receive pay for babysitting, tutoring, selling their own things or small jobs for neighbours legally, and without handing a parent’s card details to strangers.

What a teenager can realistically do online

The most honest options for a teenager are those where they sell their own skill or their own things, and an adult oversees the deal and the money.

• small design, video editing or translation jobs through a parent’s account on a marketplace that allows it
• online tutoring for younger pupils: explaining a topic, checking homework
• selling their own crafts and unwanted things online together with a parent
• running a social media page for a local business, agreed with their parents
• a part-time job in free time within the local age and hour limits

How to make a teenager’s side job official

If a teenager wants to work not online but at an ordinary business, such as a café, a shop or a summer job, the local rules apply. In the US the employer must respect the federal and state limits on hours and on hazardous jobs. In the UK the council may require a work permit, and the employer must stick to the term-time and holiday hour limits. In European countries the employer usually needs parental consent for younger teens and must keep them away from night work and dangerous tasks.

A good rule for parents everywhere: if an employer offers a teenager work without any agreement, late at night or for longer hours than the school week allows, that is a warning sign rather than a "flexible schedule". A proper arrangement protects both the child and the family: pay is recorded, hours are clear and the employer is accountable.

The scams teenagers are most often caught by

Scammers know teenagers want to earn quickly, so they offer "simple tasks" in messengers and on social media. The US Federal Trade Commission warns about task scams: you are paid small amounts at first for liking videos, rating products or leaving reviews, and then asked to deposit your own money, often in crypto, to "unlock" bigger earnings that never arrive.

For a teenager this scheme is especially dangerous, because the money or card details they ask for are often a parent’s. If you are offered money for likes, reviews or "simple tasks" and asked for a card number, one-time codes or a transfer to "unlock" a payout, it is a scam. Tell your parents and stop the conversation. In the US you can report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, in England and Wales to Report Fraud, in Scotland to Police Scotland, and in other European countries to the national police.

How to start safely: advice for parents and teens

Agree on a few simple rules. Any online work starts only after a conversation with parents. Accounts on marketplaces that allow it are registered by an adult. Card details, one-time codes and passwords are never shared with anyone, however hard an "employer" insists.

It helps to check every offer together: is there an official website, a contract, a clear way of being paid? Real work never asks you to pay first. And once a teenager turns 18, international paid research and testing platforms open up, where you can earn without selling anything but your time and your opinion.

What becomes available at 18

At 18 the choice grows sharply. You can take part in paid research and website tests: on 19 September 2026 our catalogue had 769 live studies, typical pay was $40, and half paid between $25 and $100. Many of them are open to people in the US, UK and Europe. You can run your own freelance account and open PayPal for international payouts.

LazyBounty collects these studies from different platforms and shows only the ones that fit your country, languages and profile. Signing up to the catalogue also requires you to be 18, just like the platforms themselves. Until then it is worth preparing: practise explaining your thoughts out loud, learn a second language if you can, and collect a few pieces of your own work for a portfolio.