COPPA
A federal law that makes websites and apps get a parent's consent before collecting personal information from children under 13. The FTC enforces it.
Also called: Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, COPPA Rule, children's privacy law
A federal law that makes websites and apps get a parent's consent before collecting personal information from children under 13. The FTC enforces it.
What it means
COPPA is the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, a federal law, together with the FTC's COPPA Rule that puts it into practice. It applies to commercial websites, apps and other online services directed to children under 13. It also applies to services that know they are collecting personal information from a child under 13. These operators generally must get verifiable parental consent before they collect, use or share a child's personal information.
Personal information is more than a name. The FTC counts photos, videos and audio that show a child's image or voice. It also counts location precise enough to identify a street, and persistent identifiers that recognize a child across sites and apps. In January 2025 the FTC finalized updates. They require separate parental consent before sharing a child's data with third parties for targeted advertising, and they limit how long operators can keep the data.
The FTC and state attorneys general enforce COPPA. The law has no provision for parents to sue, so parents who go to court over kids' data have generally relied on state laws.
What it means for you
A COPPA penalty does not by itself send money to families. Payments to parents usually come from a separate class action or from an FTC refund program. Suppose your child under 13 used a game, video platform or app named in a notice. Check the class definition, which often asks the parent or guardian to file. You do not need to be the child, and filing directly with the settlement administrator is free. Owed matches you with open settlements, explains each one and opens the official claim form, and you submit it yourself.
Example
Say a hypothetical drawing app is aimed at six-year-olds. It records each child's voice and a device ID and shares them with an advertising partner, and it never asks a parent for consent. That could violate COPPA, and the FTC or a state attorney general could act. Separately, parents might file a class action under state law. If it settles, the notice would tell parents of children who used the app during set dates how to claim a share.
FAQ
COPPA does not give parents a right to sue. The FTC and state attorneys general enforce it. Parents who sue over a child's data have generally used state laws, and some of those cases end in class action settlements that pay families.
Under 13. The law protects children younger than 13, so teenagers are not covered by COPPA, though other laws may apply.
Related terms
- 15 U.S.C. 6501: COPPA definitions, including child as under 13 (Cornell LII)
- 15 U.S.C. 6504: actions by state attorneys general (Cornell LII)
- FTC: Complying with COPPA, Frequently Asked Questions
- FTC press release, January 2025: finalized changes to the COPPA Rule
Updated Oct 18, 2026. Plain-English definitions for general information — not legal or tax advice.