On the evening of November 19, 2024, in California, American father Adam Pesek discovered that his 13-year-old son had launched a digital currency on the Solana network, dubbed “Memcoin.”
He bought a small portion for himself and quickly sold it, amassing tens of thousands of dollars before the price collapsed. This sparked an online family witch hunt, which revealed his identity and published his personal data online.
The story was recounted by the American technology magazine Wired on December 6, 2024, detailing how the money was transformed into live streaming content that appealed to both adults and minors.
This story should not be read as an exception, but rather as a window into a broader landscape where technology and financial behavior intersect at an early age.
Especially since the French channel CNEWS recently warned against parents not disclosing their children’s crypto accounts that they had secretly opened using their parents’ identity, as this could result in additional undisclosed taxes and fines for tax evasion.
Sometimes public posts give a more in-depth picture than the numbers, direct questions from minors on Reddit about:
- How do I buy Bitcoin if I’m under 18 and my parents don’t agree?
- What is the safe and legal way to buy crypto as a minor?
These are not isolated cases, but a recurring pattern that reveals a familiar tension between the desire to learn and the scarcity of age-appropriate, formal channels.
Crypto tempts teenagers
With Bitcoin hitting a new record high above $125,000 during the sessions of October 5 and 6, 2025, before beginning its decline, talk has returned about minors investing secretly from their parents and their intense interest in the crypto world.
This sharp rise in cryptocurrencies creates fertile ground for what is psychologically known as the fear of missing out. This pushes young people to experiment, especially when they see the peaks renewed morning after morning on their phone screen.
This begs the question: How do minors behave when the glamour of the week’s highs meets the ease of digital tools?
Using parents’ ID
In a study by USENIX (a US nonprofit organization supporting the computing systems community at Berkeley) presented at the annual symposium on privacy and security on August 12 and 13, 2024, researchers analyzed 1,676 posts in teen communities on Reddit containing crypto-related keywords.
They identified 1,409 posts (84%) that meaningfully discussed crypto and found that teens often used accounts in their parents’ names to purchase crypto, circumventing age restrictions.
The study indicated that teens were driven by investment and the potential for relatively large, short-term gains, but some discussed entertainment, ideological motivations, or interest in technology.
The director of Finance and Pedagogy, a French financial education association, explained that the issue “has emerged strongly in recent times.”
In an interview with the French newspaper Le Parisien on Friday, October 10, 2025, he warned of the real risk of investing in products of which investors are unaware.
He pointed out that the enthusiasm among minors is fueled by Bitcoin’s green curves, which set a new record on October 5, 2025, and that part of the rush sometimes comes with parental approval.
This is the case of the French boy, Pierre, who traded cryptocurrencies at the age of 16, well before the legal age required by exchange platforms, and made significant profits, according to Le Parisien.
According to the same French newspaper, the Association for the Development of Digital Assets (a professional association for crypto assets in Paris) estimated that the 18- to 24-year-old age group represented 12% of crypto asset holders in 2023, excluding minors for legal reasons.
The phenomenon is no longer just one part of the story; rather, it is a combined economic and educational issue, stemming from a lack of financial education, to platforms that simplify income, and to families oscillating between curiosity and fear.
Lukas Enzersdorfer-Konrad, co-managing partner of Bitpanda, a European crypto exchange based in Vienna, called for verifying performance and fees, comparing platforms, and ensuring that platforms are licensed under the Crypto Markets Regulations.
He pointed to the need to implement Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures, noting that teenagers can open accounts in their parents’ names or using family banking information.
Demand is increasing
A report by Internet Matters (a British non-profit organization for children’s online safety in London) released on July 5, 2023, found that 8% of 13- to 16-year-olds in Britain have already invested in crypto, and 15% plan to do so soon—roughly a quarter of this group are already involved or about to.
Behind this number is a clear social story, simplified interfaces, and visual language that make the experience of money seem more like a game than a balanced financial decision. Losses become a minor incident in a longer experience.
Here, family guidance is not a ban, but rather a correction of perspective before the first purchase.
UNICEF warns
On April 18, 2025, UNICEF warned that online culture and digital financial technologies are gradually blurring the lines between entertainment and sound financial behavior among children.
It noted that incentives that attract children, such as rewards, attractive graphics, and instant streaming, decide to spend or invest a natural extension of a familiar entertainment environment.
Conclusion
The growing use of crypto by minors is fueled by a remarkable coincidence with a historic weekly Bitcoin summit that stimulates imagination and digital infrastructure that facilitates entry.
Smart regulation does not mean blind guardianship, but rather early financial education, age verification tools within platforms, and custodial account formats that enable safe learning.
Otherwise, the sheer glamour of the October 5, 2025, summit alone is enough to push a minor into his first expensive experience before he learns the meaning of risk.
