COPPA or the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule is designed to protect your kids while they use the internet. But what exactly is COPPA and how does it work?
The internet can be a dangerous place. Especially for our children. And as the world becomes more and more digital, it’s even more important to protect your kids online. Thankfully, there are some measures in place to protect minors as they browse the web. But are they enough? Can you put your children’s online safety in the hands of the government? Let’s find out.
The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule
For starters, let’s define what COPPA is. In essence, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA) prevents companies from obtaining the personal information from users under 13 without parental consent. It requires websites to abide by several requirements that are designed to protect young internet users. These requirements include but are not limited to:
- Informing parents of the information that the site collects on their children
- Acquiring parental consent before obtaining said information
- Allowing users to revoke consent and have their information deleted from the site
- Only collecting limited personal information on users under the age of 13
If you want to learn even more about the specific provisions of COPPA, check out the full bill here. But be warned, you may fall asleep trying to read all the legislative jargon!
The Reason for COPPA
COPPA was passed due to growing awareness of internet marketing campaigns and how susceptible children are to them. Initially passed in 2000, and then revised in 2013, the law intends to prevent companies from having the unrestricted ability to collect personal information on children.
This of course, is a great thing in theory. Obviously, we need to ensure that our children are protected while they browse the web. Particularly in a day and age in which children spend so much of their time online. But does COPPA do enough? After all, the bill hasn’t been revised in nearly a decade. Just think about all the changes that the internet has experienced since 2013! So, what can you do on your end to make sure that your family stays protected online?
The Top Online Privacy Solution
Sure, COPPA is a great foundation for helping your kids stay safe online. It forces companies to abide by several measures that prevent them from obtaining your children’s personal information.
But is it enough to keep your kids safe? Probably not. Just think of how easy it is for a child to lie about their age or click “Yes” on a box asking for a parent’s permission. Most adolescents have their own emails, social media accounts, and even phone numbers. And with all of those tools, they could easily skirt the protective measures that COPPA tries to implement.
Thankfully, there’s a way for you to further defend your family’s privacy on the web. That way is Privacy Bee. Privacy Bee is the top consumer data privacy solution on the market, and they have specific features in place to protect you and your loved ones. With their extended family protection plan, they make it easy for you as the parent to control which companies you do and don’t trust with your children’s data. With their services, you have a direct hand in determining which companies have access to your children’s personal information.
And that’s not all! On top of Privacy Bee’s powerful family protection plan, they offer a litany of other great features. These include a free browser extension to further customize your privacy preferences and 24/7 vulnerability monitoring to make sure that you and your family stay safe.
So what are you waiting for? Don’t rely on COPPA. Start protecting your family for free today!
