What Is COPPA? Why Your Parent Must Say Yes Online
Survey Cash Club Research Desk
May 16, 2026
COPPA is a law that protects kids under 13 online by requiring websites to get parent permission before collecting your information.
# What Is COPPA? Why Your Parent Must Say Yes Online
What Does COPPA Mean?
The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA) is a federal law that imposes specific requirements on operators of websites and online services to protect the privacy of children under 13. Think of COPPA as a rule that protects YOU when you're online.
The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) gives parents control over what information websites can collect from their kids. This means websites can't secretly collect your personal information without your parent saying it's okay first.
Why Was COPPA Created?
Back in the 1990s, the internet was brand new and exciting. But there was a big problem: COPPA was passed to strengthen the privacy law and address the rapid growth of online marketing techniques in the 1990s that were targeting children. Various websites were collecting personal data from children without parents' actual knowledge or consent.
Companies were collecting kids' names, addresses, and other personal information to sell products or share with advertisers. Parents didn't even know it was happening! The Act was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1998 and took effect in April 2000.
Who Does COPPA Protect?
The act applies to the online collection of personal information by persons or entities under U.S. jurisdiction about children under 13 years of age. So if you're 12 or younger and using websites or apps in the United States, COPPA protects you.
What Information Does COPPA Protect?
COPPA protects lots of different types of information about you, including:
Your name and email address
Address of a child's home or other physical location where they spend time, including names of streets, cities or towns
Photos, videos, or audio recordings containing a child's image and/or voice
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.
The COPPA Rule does not mandate the method a company must use to get parental consent. Instead, it says that an operator must choose a method reasonably designed in light of available technology to ensure that the person giving the consent is the child's parent. Your parent might give permission by email, phone call, or credit card verification.
What Rights Do Parents Have?
COPPA gives your parents important powers:
Parents have the right to monitor their children's activities and review any personal information collected from their children.
Parents have the right to request deletion of their children's personal information.
Parents have the right to withdraw permission at any time for the collection and/or use of their children's personal information.
What Happens If Websites Break the Rules?
Websites that don't follow COPPA get in serious trouble. In 2019, the FTC hit YouTube with a COPPA fine of $170 million for illegally harvesting children's data and targeting ads at kids without their parents' consent. That's a LOT of money!
How Can You Help Stay Safe?
While COPPA protects you, you can also protect yourself:
Always ask your parent before sharing information online
Never share your address, phone number, or location without permission
Be careful about photos and videos you post
Remember that once something is online, it can stay there forever
The Bottom Line
The primary goal of COPPA is to place parents in control over what information is collected from their young children online. COPPA exists because YOU matter, and your privacy is important. Your parent's "yes" is your protection!
