Children's Online Privacy Protection Act

Children's Online Privacy Protection Act
Acronyms (colloquial)	COPPA
Enacted by	the 105th United States Congress
Effective	April 21, 2000
Citations
Public law	105-277
Legislative history
	Introduced in the Senate as S. 2326 by Richard Bryan (D–NV) on July 17, 1998; Committee consideration by Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Signed into law by President Bill Clinton on October 21, 1998;

The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA) is a United States federal law, located at 15 U.S.C. §§ 6501–6506 (Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 105–277 (text) (PDF), 112 Stat. 2681-728, enacted October 21, 1998).

The act, effective April 21, 2000, applies to the online collection of personal information by persons or entities under U.S. jurisdiction about children under 13 years of age, including children outside the U.S. if the website or service is U.S.-based.^[1] It details what a website operator must include in a privacy policy, when and how to seek verifiable consent from a parent or guardian, and what responsibilities an operator has to protect children's privacy and safety online, including restrictions on the marketing of those under 13.^[2]

Although children under 13 can legally give out personal information with their parents' permission, many websites—particularly social media sites, but also other sites that collect most personal info—disallow children under 13 from using their services altogether due to the cost and work involved in complying with the law.^[3]^[4]^[5]

An updated version of COPPA, the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act, informally called COPPA 2.0, has been introduced in the 118th Congress in 2023, effectively raising the age covered by COPPA from 13 to 16 years.^[6]

^ "Complying with COPPA: Frequently Asked Questions". FTC Business Center. Federal Trade Commission. March 20, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2019. As a related matter, U.S.-based sites and services that collect information from foreign children also are subject to COPPA.
^ "Complying with COPPA: Frequently Asked Questions". FTC Business Center. Federal Trade Commission. March 20, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
^ "What age should my kids be before I let them use Instagram, Facebook, and other social media services?". Common Sense Media. Common Sense Media, Inc. Archived from the original on August 6, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
^ Bilton, N. (February 18, 2015). "Letting Your Kids Play in the Social Media Sandbox". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 22, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^ Rochman, B. (May 24, 2011). "Should Kids Under 13 Be on Facebook?". Time. Time, Inc. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
^ Fingas, Jon (May 2, 2023). "Senators reintroduce COPPA 2.0 bill to tighten child safety online". Engadget. Retrieved February 18, 2024.

[FTC_COPPA_FAQ_USbased-1] "Complying with COPPA: Frequently Asked Questions". FTC Business Center. Federal Trade Commission. March 20, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2019. As a related matter, U.S.-based sites and services that collect information from foreign children also are subject to COPPA.

[FTC_COPPA_FAQ-2] "Complying with COPPA: Frequently Asked Questions". FTC Business Center. Federal Trade Commission. March 20, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2019.

[CSMWhatAge-3] "What age should my kids be before I let them use Instagram, Facebook, and other social media services?". Common Sense Media. Common Sense Media, Inc. Archived from the original on August 6, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2023.

[BiltonLetting15-4] Bilton, N. (February 18, 2015). "Letting Your Kids Play in the Social Media Sandbox". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 22, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

[RochmanShould11-5] Rochman, B. (May 24, 2011). "Should Kids Under 13 Be on Facebook?". Time. Time, Inc. Retrieved June 22, 2016.

[6] Fingas, Jon (May 2, 2023). "Senators reintroduce COPPA 2.0 bill to tighten child safety online". Engadget. Retrieved February 18, 2024.

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