COPPA

The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA) is a United States federal law enacted October 21, 1998 and applies to the online collection of personal information by persons or entities from children under 13 years of age. It details what a website 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 to those under 13. 

Historical perspective: The act became effective April 21, 2000. The social networking giant Facebook told the Obama administration that child privacy laws should not apply to a Web site’s ability to incorporate a “like” button, because that would inhibit free expression. In 2012, the company argued that it had no control over sites that incorporate social plug-ins, such as a like button, and should therefore not be held liable under the child privacy law. A like counts as free speech, the company has repeatedly argued, and muzzling a user’s ability to like something on Facebook would infringe on a user’s constitutional rights. 

In 2024, COPPA 2.0, along with the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) were bills passed in the U.S. Senate further mandating social platforms to mitigate potential harms to children. They widen the parental consent requirement for data collection and place restrictions on kids’ advertising.