Glossary/Privacy & Legal/COPPA

what is COPPA

What is COPPA?

COPPA, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, is a U.S. federal law that restricts the collection of personal data from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. It's the reason most U.S.-based apps and websites set their minimum age at 13 and why some platforms offer specific children's versions.

Why It Matters for Families

COPPA provides meaningful protections but has significant enforcement challenges — most platforms use self-reported age, which is easily circumvented. Parents should understand that COPPA compliance doesn't guarantee a platform is appropriate for their child; it simply means certain data collection rules apply.

Warning Signs to Watch For

  • 1Your child under 13 uses platforms that are not COPPA-compliant or designed for children
  • 2They use accounts that falsify their age to access adult platforms

What You Can Do

For children under 13, choose platforms explicitly designed for their age group with built-in COPPA protections. Teach older children why these laws exist — not as arbitrary restrictions, but as protections against data exploitation. The FTC enforces COPPA and accepts complaints at ftc.gov/complaint.

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Related Terms

Age Verification
Age verification refers to methods used by websites and apps to confirm that users meet the minimum age requirement — typically 13 under COPPA or 18 for adult content. Methods range from simple self-reported birthdate entry (easily circumvented) to more robust ID-based verification.
Data Privacy
Data privacy is the principle that individuals should have control over their personal information — how it's collected, stored, used, and shared by companies and governments. In the context of apps and social media, it refers to what information platforms gather about users and how that data is used, typically for advertising.
Online Privacy
Online privacy refers to the right to control what personal information is shared online, with whom, and how it's used. In practice, it involves understanding what data apps and websites collect, how to configure account privacy settings, and what information to keep off public platforms.
Parental Controls
Parental controls are tools that allow parents to manage and restrict their child's access to content, apps, features, or screen time. They range from built-in device features (like Apple Screen Time or Google Family Link) to app-level controls offered by individual platforms.
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