Should minors be able to talk with smartphone virtual assistants?

Microsoft are apparently banning minors from being able to interact with Cortana which is due to Microsoft’s answer to Siri, and reported to doing this based on a US based legislation known as “Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act” (COPPA).

Obviously it’d be different once it launches here, as our laws aren’t as ridiculous as America, but a commenter on this article has essentially implied that this could be a safety issue, as it could lock out a child’s ability to call emergency services.

In truth, I haven’t ready any further into this than the article, but what are some opinions of the pros and cons for MS using the same tactic here?