Safe email for kids, with senders you approve
Your child gets a real email address of their own. You decide who can write to them. Mail from anyone else comes to you first, so nothing from a stranger lands in your child's inbox without you knowing.
A first email address, set up by a parent
At Ayamail you can have your own account from the age of 15. Children under 15 get a child account instead. A parent creates it in the Family Center, chooses the address and sets the password. The child never has to sign up anywhere, give a date of birth or enter payment details.
Child accounts are part of the Ayamail Family plan, which has room for 6 adults and 4 child accounts with 2 TB of shared storage. Your child's mailbox has no ads, and we do not read mail to build profiles or sell it to advertisers.
A child account is made for the years when a child is starting to use email for school, clubs, grandparents and friends, but is not yet ready to deal with spam, strangers and newsletters on their own.
How approved senders work, step by step
"Only receive mail from approved senders" is switched on by default for every child account. This is how it works in practice.
Create the child account
In the Family Center, choose Create a child account. Pick a name, an address and a password, and give the details to your child.
Add the people your child knows
Add approved senders: a full address such as grandma@example.com, or a whole domain such as your child's school. You can add up to 200. Everyone in your own family account is approved automatically.
Unknown senders come to you
When someone who is not on the list writes to your child, the mail does not reach the child. It is passed on to your own inbox instead, so you can read it and decide.
Approve, and future mail goes straight through
If the sender is fine, add them to the list. From then on, their mail goes directly to your child.
Loosen the rules as your child grows
When your child is ready, you can switch approved senders off. You can then choose to get a copy of mail from new senders, while your child receives everything.
What your child can and cannot do
- Your child can read and write email in webmail and in the Ayamail apps.
- Your child can write to any address. The approved list controls who can write to your child, not who your child writes to, so it is worth agreeing together who is fine to email.
- Your child cannot open the control panel, change the plan or see payment details.
- Your child cannot remove your rules. They are stored on our mail server and can only be changed by the account owner.
- You can pause the account, set a new password, rename it or delete it from the Family Center.
What you see as a parent, and what you do not
You see mail from senders you have not approved, because it comes to you instead of your child. If you switch approved senders off and turn on copies, you get a copy of mail from new senders.
The Family Center does not give you a view of your child's inbox. Mail from approved senders goes to your child, not to you. We think it is best to tell your child how the account works, so the rules are open and they learn to look after their own post.
Approval is based on the sender address in the email. Our spam filter rejects many fake senders, but not all of them, so it is still worth talking about mail that seems odd.
How mail and files are protected
Your mail is protected with an encrypted connection (TLS) to and from our servers, and we require encrypted delivery from other mail servers. Mail is stored on our own servers at Hetzner in Germany. If you want to send an email that only the recipient can read, you can turn on PGP encryption or send a password-protected message.
Files, photos, passwords and documents in Ayamail Drive, Album, Pass and Docs are encrypted on your own device before they are stored. Calendar and contacts can be encrypted.
Ayamail child account compared with Gmail and Family Link
Gmail is the most common choice for a child's first address. Here is an honest comparison, including where Gmail is stronger.
As of 30 October 2026
| Ayamail child account | Gmail with Family Link | |
|---|---|---|
| Ads in the child's inbox | No | No (according to Google) |
| Only approved senders reach the child | Yes, on by default | No approved list. Parents can block single addresses |
| Mail from unknown senders | Goes to the parent first | Goes to the child's inbox or spam |
| Price | Included in the paid Family plan | Free |
| Controls for the whole device | No. Ayamail only manages the email account | Yes, screen time and apps on Android and Chromebook |
Gmail facts are from Google's own help page (see sources). Ayamail prices depend on your country and are on the pricing page.
Other options: Outlook, iCloud and dedicated kids' email
Microsoft and Apple also offer family features for children's accounts. They are a good fit if your family already lives on Windows or Apple devices. Check their help pages for how mail from strangers is handled.
There are also email services made only for children. Ayamail is different in that the child account sits inside a family plan with email, calendar, contacts, drive, photo albums and passwords for everyone, so the whole family uses the same place.
Everything the family needs in one plan
See how the Family plan works for adults and children: shared calendar, albums and the Family Center.
What does the Family plan cost?
Prices depend on your country and are shown in your currency.
Start with your own account
Create your account first. You can then upgrade to Family and add your children.
Questions and answers
- What age does my child need to be for their own Ayamail account?
- You can have your own account from 15. Children under 15 get a child account that a parent creates and manages in the Family Center.
- Can I choose who is allowed to email my child?
- Yes. With approved senders switched on, which is the default, only people on your list and your own family can reach your child. Mail from anyone else is passed on to you instead.
- Can I read my child's email?
- You see mail from senders you have not approved, because it comes to you. The Family Center does not open your child's inbox, and mail from approved senders goes only to your child.
- Does my child see ads?
- No. Ayamail has no ads, and we do not use mail for advertising.
- What happens when my child turns 15?
- You can loosen the rules step by step, for example by switching approved senders off and only getting a copy of mail from new senders.
Sources
- Google: Gmail & your child's Google Account (Checked 30 October 2026)