# Can a teenager use our digital mental health service without parental consent for data processing?

URL: https://tymirahealth.com/resources/faqs/can-a-teenager-use-our-digital-mental-health-service-without-parental-consent-for-data-processin
For: Digital health teams | Data protection and privacy | Reviewed by Independent clinical reviewer, Registered mental health clinician, Kenya | Last reviewed 8 November 2026

**Answer:** Generally, the Data Protection Act requires a parent's or guardian's consent to process a child's personal data, plus processing that advances the child's best interests and age-verification mechanisms. However, the Act says a controller that exclusively provides counselling or child protection services to a child may not need parental consent. Whether your service qualifies depends on what it does and who runs it. Design for both paths, document your reasoning in the DPIA, and get advice from your DPO or a lawyer before launch.

Sources: Kenya Law: https://new.kenyalaw.org/akn/ke/act/2019/24/eng@2022-12-31 - Office of the Data Protection Commissioner: https://www.odpc.go.ke/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Draft-1-Guidance-Note-for-Processing-of-Children-Data.pdf

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**About Tymira Health:** Tymira Health is a healthcare technology company based in Nairobi, Kenya. It builds Tymira360, a practice management and EHR platform for mental health, physiotherapy and dental providers, clinics, hospitals, NGOs and insurers across Africa.

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