What is COPPA And How Does It Protect Children Online?

COPPA stands for Children's Online Privacy Protection Act which was created by the Federal Trade Commission to help parents protect their children online. COPPA regulates what information about children can be collected by website owners and determines how the websites are allowed to use the information.

How COPPA Works

If you are a parent that is unfamiliar with COPPA, it is a good idea to understand the rules and regulations that COPPA enforces on websites that knowingly collect information about your child. Although the laws get quite involved, here are a few of the primary ways that COPPA can help you protect your child online.

  • Verifiable Parental Consent: According to the COPPA rules and regulations, every website which is based in the United States that knowingly collects information on children under the age of 13 is required to obtain verifiable parental consent before allowing the child to participate in the website activities.

  • Three Types of Websites: The COPPA law focuses on websites that attract children under the age of 13. It categorizes the websites into three types which include sites that are directed at children, sites that attract general audiences, and general audience sites that have specific areas for children.

  • COPPA Standards: The COPPA laws and regulations have also set standards that website owners must follow to protect children under the age of 13 online. Some of the standards include guidelines for disclosing children's personal information. If you question whether a website is in compliance with COPPA, check to see if there is a privacy policy in place and that it is posted on the home page of the website, as well as every page where personal information is collected. The website should also be notifying parents of their information gathering practices and requesting parental consent for their child to participate in the website. Additionally, the parent should be given the choice of whether their child's information is disclosed to third parties and the website should provide you with a way to delete your child's information from the website.

Under the COPPA law gaming websites should not require your child to enter their personal information into the website to participate in the games that are provided on the site. The website should also have an established policy that explains how any information is secured on the site.

If you would like to obtain more information on the COPPA laws and how to protect your child online, you can log onto the Federal Trade Commission website at www.ftc.gov and use "COPPA" in your search or "child privacy initiatives."

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