COPPA: Why Your Parent Has to Say Yes

# COPPA: Why Your Parent Has to Say Yes

COPPA gives parents control over what information websites can collect from their kids. Here's what you need to know about this important rule.

What Is COPPA?

COPPA is a United States federal law that became effective April 21, 2000, and applies to the online collection of personal information by persons or entities about children under 13 years of age. The letters stand for Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. Think of it as a rule that protects you when you're online.

Why Does Your Parent Need to Say Yes?

The primary goal of COPPA is to place parents in control over what information is collected from their young children online. When a website or app wants to collect your information—like your name, email, or birthday—verifiable parental consent must be obtained before collecting personal information online from children under 13, and the method used must be "reasonably calculated" to ensure the consent is actually being granted by the parent.

Your parent is the adult responsible for you, so the law says they get to decide what websites can know about you.

What Information Does COPPA Protect?

Personal information includes a persistent identifier that can be used to recognize a user over time and across different websites or online services; a photograph, video, or audio file where such file contains a child's image or voice; geolocation information sufficient to identify street name and name of a city or town. It also includes your real name, email address, phone number, and other details that identify who you are.

Why Is This Important?

The sweeping collection of personal data from such a young age presents exceptional privacy and data security threats to minors, and incomprehensible privacy disclosures, deceptive design elements, broad commercial surveillance practices, and targeted advertising make the digital ecosystem too complex for adults—let alone minors—to fully understand.