Of the five well-known tools we checked, two say 18 and over in their own terms, one leaves the age to local law, and two allow 13 to 17 year olds with a parent’s or guardian’s permission. TYVM is built for 13 and up, and on a young person’s page a grown-up approves where the money goes.
How we checked
I read each company’s own terms of service on 13 October 2026 and summarised only what they say about age. I did not test their products, and this is not a review of how good they are. Many of these are excellent tools for adults. Terms change, so check the link before you rely on a row.
What each one’s terms say
| Tool | Minimum age in its terms | Under 18? | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ko-fi | 18 | Not allowed. Its terms say you must be 18 or older to use Ko-fi and create an account (updated 13 July 2026) | more.ko-fi.com/terms |
| Buy Me a Coffee | 18 | Not allowed. Its terms say you need to be 18 or over to sign up (no date shown on the page) | buymeacoffee.com/terms |
| Linktree | Set by local law | Its terms leave the minimum age to your jurisdiction, say certain features are intended for people 18 and over, and say access for under-18s may come with extra restrictions or checks (effective 5 July 2026) | linktr.ee/s/terms |
| Beacons | 13 | Allowed from 13. Under 18, only under the supervision of a parent or guardian who agrees to the terms and is responsible for the young person’s use (updated 19 August 2024) | beacons.ai/i/terms |
| Patreon | 13 to use. A creator page at 18, or younger with permission | A creator page under 18 needs a parent’s or legal guardian’s permission. Users must also be old enough to consent to data use in their country (updated 27 May 2026) | patreon.com/policy/legal |
| TYVM | 13 | Built for 13 and up. On a page for someone 13 to 17, a grown-up joins as guardian before any money or contact feature works, and approves the exact payment link | tyvm.us/parents |
Last checked 13 October 2026, on each company’s own terms page.
Ko-fi, Buy Me a Coffee, Linktree, Beacons and Patreon are trademarks of their owners. TYVM is not affiliated with any of them.
What the table does and does not tell you
An age line in the terms answers “am I allowed?”. It does not answer “what happens on the page?”. Where a tool allows 13 to 17 year olds with a parent’s permission, the permission is usually an agreement: the grown-up accepts the terms and takes responsibility. That is a real and reasonable approach. It is just a different one from ours.
The difference I care about is what the grown-up can do on the page itself, day to day.
What TYVM does differently
On TYVM, the guardian is in the product, and the rules are enforced by the system rather than left to a settings page:
- A grown-up approves where the money goes. On a page for someone 13 to 17, the tip jar points at a payment link the guardian approves. The guardian approves the exact link, and approves it again if it changes.
- Nothing that takes money or invites contact works until a guardian joins. If the last guardian steps back, those features lock again.
- A grown-up can pause the page at any time, in one tap.
- On a young person’s page, no picture goes up until a person has looked at it.
- Every page has a Report link, no account needed, and a person, not a bot, decides what comes down.
- No ads and no trackers on anyone’s page, and TYVM never takes a cut of anyone’s support.
- Nobody under 13. TYVM starts at 13, and there is no page for anyone under 13 on any account.
What we are not
TYVM is not a store, a bank or a payment app. Supporters pay through the payment app the page points at, such as Venmo, Cash App, PayPal or a Stripe payment link, and that app’s own terms and fees apply. If a payment app has its own age rules, those still apply, which is one reason the guardian approves the payment link a teen’s page uses.
TYVM is also new. It opens at tyvm.app at launch, so it has no track record yet. The tools above have years of one.
How to choose
If your teen is under 18, start with the terms. If a tool says 18 and over, that is the answer, even if the sign-up form never asks. If it allows under-18s, ask where the money lands, who can contact your teen, and whether you can pause the page yourself.
Also in the journal: How can a teen take tips or payments safely? →