How Old Do You Have To Be To Play Airsoft?

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Last night my friend, who has a 13-year-old son, asked me how old do you have to be to play airsoft. He was worried if his kid can get hurt playing airsoft and is it okay to give him an airsoft gun, even if it isn’t a real gun.

The answer to this question is not that simple as it really depends from child to child. It depends on how mature and responsible your child is as some 11 years old can be more mature and responsible to handle airsoft gun than a 15-year-old kid. Also, the answer depends on where you live as each country has different laws. After extensive research, I would say the most appropriate age to start playing airsoft is 12 or 13 although kids can’t purchase airsoft guns if they are not 18 years old in most countries. Airsoft guns are not considered firearms although airsoft is illegal in some parts of the world.

What Is Airsoft Gun And How Does It Work?

The first thing you need to understand is what airsoft gun is and how does it work. Airsoft guns are air-powered guns that shoot 6 or 8mm plastic round projectiles called BBs. They are realistic replicas of existing firearms and there are three types of airsoft guns – spring, electric, and gas. Each of them has its own strengths and weaknesses.

Gas-powered guns use compressed gas to propel the BB out of the gun and there are two types of gas guns – GBB which stands for Gas Blow Back and NBB which stands for Non-Blow Back. NBB guns don’t have recoil while GBB guns provide a pretty realistic recoil. You can find more information on recoil in our article Do Airsoft Guns Have Recoil?

Spring-powered guns or “springers”, use a spring to push the BB and must be manually cocked before each shot. They are mostly entry-level and considered as beginner weapons. Electric guns or “AEG” are battery-powered Airsoft Guns and are the most popular and common type of airsoft gun. They work very similarly to spring-powered guns but you don’t have to manually pull back the spring, as an electric motor, which is connected to the rechargeable battery, is used for this.

Is it Safe For My Kids to Play Airsoft? Can They Get hurt?

Airsoft is as safe or dangerous just like many other outdoor activities. If your kid follows safety procedures and wears protective gear, yes, it is safe for him to play Airsoft. And if he doesn’t follow safety procedures he can get serious injuries, just like in any other activity.

Airsoft guns are low velocity, non-lethal guns that usually fire at a velocity of 300-400 feet per second. If your kid wears proper clothing (long sleeve shirts and pants, tactical vest, gloves, and mask) it won’t hurt much if he gets hit, but it will hurt him if he’s hit on the exposed skin and will probably leave a mark (red contusions or “welts”) or break the skin. But it hurts much less than being hit with paintballs.

The biggest danger is being hit in the eye so make sure that your kid is wearing a face mask at all times. I know that kids can get frustrated wearing a mask or goggles as they tend to fog up but talk to your child about this, and emphasize how important it is to wear a mask and that they should never take it off.

So, the most important thing is to buy him proper safety equipment which should include a full face mask, gloves, elbow and knee pads, proper footwear, uniform, and tactical vest.

Also, make sure that the field where you’re going to play have velocity guidelines. Muzzle velocity is an airsoft gun projectile speed measured in feet per second (FPS) and it can vary depending on the type of game or gun. For your kid’s safety make sure that the field is checking velocity using Airsoft shooting chronograph. Get more information on this subject in our article What’s The Highest FPS Airsoft Gun And Does FPS Even Matter?

You should also check MED, which stands for Minimum Engagement Distance, which is the minimum distance from which you can shoot at your opponents.

Can My Kids Play Airsoft?

If you follow proper safety procedures and your kid is of a certain age, yes, your kids can play Airsoft. There is no definite answer when it’s ok for kids to play airsoft, it really depends from child to child. Some 11 years old can be more mature and responsible to handle airsoft guns than a 14-year-old kid. So as a parent, you know your kid best and if it’s ok to let him play airsoft and handle the gun. If your kid is immature and irresponsible for his age and he doesn’t understand that he could seriously injure someone than don’t give him airsoft gun no matter how old is he.

Also answer depends from field to field. In the USA, in many fields, the minimum age to play airsoft is 10 years old. The typical age limit in most fields is 14 years old. But it’s best to check with the field on which you’re going to play. Of course, most fields won’t let him play without the supervision of grown-up. One more thing that you must take into consideration are the laws of the country where you live.

Before buying equipment the best advice I can give you is to take your kids to some local field and rent guns and safety equipment. Play a couple of rounds with your kids and if they like it then you can buy them necessary equipment. Although a full-face mask is not mandatory for adults, it is required for children in many fields. And I hope you’re responsible enough and you will buy your kid proper full face mask so he doesn’t get hurt. Also buy him gloves, elbow and knee pads, proper footwear, uniform, and tactical vest.

What Is The Recommended Age To Start Playing Airsoft?

Airsoft guns should be treated as real guns at all times. Most of the manufacturers will tell you the same thing. And as I already said, if your kid is immature and irresponsible for his age and he doesn’t understand that he could seriously injure someone then don’t give him airsoft gun no matter how old is he.

But if we take a look at the average teenager and not some special individuals, the recommended age to start playing airsoft is 12 or 13 years old. The reason for this is that at that age, kids are a little more mature and responsible and they are also old enough to know how to handle dangerous tools like an airsoft gun without hurting themselves or other people.

Can 10 Year Olds Play Airsoft?

In most countries in the world, it is illegal for underage kids to play airsoft, while in USA 10-year-olds, with the supervisor of grown-ups, can play airsoft. So it depends on where are you living.

This also depends on parent to parent. I know some parents who would or did bought their 10-year-olds an airsoft gun while other parents wouldn’t give them airsoft guns even if they are 20 years old.

Personally I wouldn’t recommend giving an airsoft gun to 10 years old as an average 10-year-old kid is not mature and responsible enough to play and probably doesn’t understand how serious he can hurt someone with an airsoft gun. Yes, I said that some 11 years old can be more mature than much older kids but still, I think that 10-year-olds are too young to play airsoft.

Can a 12-year-old Play Airsoft?

As I said before 12 or 13 years old, is the recommended age to start playing airsoft as kids this age are becoming teenagers and they are a little more mature and responsible. They are also old enough to know how to handle dangerous tools like an airsoft gun without hurting themselves or other people.

So I would say 12 is a minimum age for kids to start playing airsoft. But as I said before, you as a parent know you kid best and is he responsible and mature enough to handle an airsoft gun. Of course, if you’re living in a country where laws allow underage kids to play airsoft.

Safety Tips And Rules For Kids

Before letting your kids play airsoft there are a couple of things you should teach them. Make sure that your kids are understanding the rules and safety tips.

Here I’m going to give you a couple of safety tips and rules:

  • Treat an airsoft gun as a real gun at all times. Don’t point them at anybody if you’re not playing a game, turn the safety on, and take a magazine out. Even better keep your weapon in a holster or put “barrel bags” or barrel blockers over the muzzle of the gun.
  • NEVER take off your full-face mask when you’re on a battlefield. Don’t take off any of the safety equipment while you’re on the field.
  • Airsoft gun must be in safety mode if you’re not playing.
  • When you take a magazine out, press a trigger for a couple of seconds to empty BBs that may still be in the barrel.
  • When you’re not on the field, don’t show your airsoft gun in public or carry it without a case as it could easily be mistaken for a real gun.
  • No physical contact – it’s forbidden to hit anyone with guns
  • No point-blank range firing
  • Avoid head shots – aim for the body or legs of the opponent as headshots are dangerous
  • Only point the gun in a safe direction
  • DO NOT look down the barrel of the gun

What Airsoft Safety Gear Should I Buy For My Kids?

The most important thing to keep your kid safe is to buy him proper safety equipment which includes the following:

  • Full-face mask – on many Airsoft fields it is mandatory to wear a full-face mask if you’re underage. Even without that requirement buy your kid a mask and not goggles. Or at least buy him a half-face mask, which protects the lower part of the face, and goggles.
  • Gloves – do not let your kid play without gloves as their hands are exposed when handling replicas on the field.
  • Elbow and knee pads – to protect your kid when jumping or falling. Also, he will be thankful you bought him pads if he must lay in the prone position on a hard surface for a longer period of time.
  • Footwear – get him proper footwear with good traction depending on which type of terrain he will be playing.
  • Tactical vest – it doesn’t only offers extra protection, but makes carrying all the gear a lot easier.
  • Long sleeve shirt and pants

The Benefits of Airsoft For Kids

Besides being a really fun outdoor activity, airsoft provides a wealth of benefits for your kids.

Physical activity

One of the biggest benefits is physical activity. In this age kids are sitting a lot in front of a TV or computer and it’s sometimes hard to make them go out and exercise. Airsoft is such fun activity that they will be happy running around for a couple of hours. Airsoft forces you to run, jump, duck behind the cover, sprint, and bend in all sorts of ways. It’s actually a fun full-body workout.

Mental benefit

Besides being a great exercise for your kids, airsoft has some mental benefits too. Playing as a part of a team will teach your kids some other stuff. Like how to be a team player, how to follow orders, and how to lead. While playing an airsoft kids are also developing strategies and tactics to win the game.

Learning these skills will definitely help you kid later in life as they make a solid foundation for other team-based sports or their professional careers.

Social benefits

We live in a time where kids are pretty anti-social. They are more engaging with others via their mobile phones or computers than face-to-face and as a result, they are lacking some basic social skills.

Airsoft, being a team-based sport, makes them interact with other people of different age groups and thus developing their social skills.

Laws On Airsoft for Kids: At What Age Can You Start Playing Airsoft?

As I already said one of the things that you must check before letting your kid play airsoft are the laws in your country.

In some countries, like Australia, airsoft is illegal and in some countries, it is illegal for children under the age of 18 to play airsoft. In Europe, you have to be at least 16 years or 18 years old to play airsoft. In the USA the minimum age to play airsoft is 10 years old. This of course also depends on the laws regarding airsoft in the particular state or county where you live.

In India, airsoft is not recognized as a sporting activity while in Israel, airsoft guns are illegal to import, manufacture, and sell.

Here is a list of countries and their laws regarding the minimum age to play airsoft or own airsoft guns.

Country Minimum age to play airsoft Minimum age to buy or own airsoft gun
United States No minimum age with parental permission or supervision. It depends from field to field. 18
Australia, Malaysia Illegal Illegal
Canada under 18 with the supervision of an adult 18
United Kingdom, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland 18 18
Armenia, Hong Kong, Ireland, Kuwait, Latvia, Russia, Thailand, Ukraine, Macau No age limit No age limit
China, Singapore, Philippines Banned Banned
Denmark 16 with parents

permission

18
Finland Any age with written permission from parents Any age with written permission from parents
France under 18 but only airsoft guns

under 0.08 joules in power

under 18 but only airsoft guns

under 0.08 joules in power

Bulgaria 14-18 with

parents permission

No age limit although traders don’t sell Airsoft guns to minors
Germany 14-18

but only airsoft guns

under 0.5 joules

14 for guns under 0.5 joules and 18 for guns with muzzle energy between 0.5 and 7.5 joules
Hungary, Serbia 16 16
Mexico Unregulated Unregulated
Italy 14-18 with the supervision of an adult 18
Japan under 18 but only airsoft guns

under 0.135 joules

18
Norway, Poland Any age with parents

permission

18
Indonesia not specified 18
New Zealand 16

with a firearms

license

18
Portugal 18 or 16 with written parental consent 18
Netherlands must be member

of the NAVB (Dutch Airsoft Association)

must be member

of the NAVB (Dutch Airsoft Association)

Conclusion

I hope you got all the needed information from this article. So the recommended age to start playing is 12 or 13 years old, of course, if laws in your country allow underage kids to play airsoft. Just make sure your kid is mature and responsible enough to handle an airsoft gun and that he’s acquainted with rules and safety tips. And of course, don’t let him play without security equipment.

Photos credit: Pixabay.com (benjaminwgr0, 8089514)

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