FTC Proposes Major Overhaul of Children's Online Privacy Rules

The changes aim to strengthen protections for children under 13, limit data collection by educational technology providers, and impose stricter data retention rules.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has proposed sweeping changes to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which regulates how online companies can track and advertise to children.
The proposed changes include turning off targeted ads to kids under 13 by default, limiting push notifications, and requiring separate, verifiable parental consent for disclosing information about kids under 13 to third-party advertisers.
Online services will also be prohibited from using personal details like a child's cellphone number to induce youngsters to stay on their platforms longer.
The FTC is also proposing to limit the collection of student data by learning apps and other educational-tech providers, allowing schools to consent to the collection of children's personal details only for educational purposes, not commercial purposes.
The proposed rules would only allow companies to keep personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the specific purpose for which it was collected, prohibiting operators from using retained information for any secondary purpose and from retaining the information indefinitely.