COPPA, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, requires operators of websites, apps, and online services directed to children under 13, or with actual knowledge of child users, to obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting personal data. It has been in effect since April 21, 2000.
How COPPA Affects Marketers
For marketers, the law covers behavioral ad targeting, retargeting pixels, and data collection on child-directed social content. Influencer channels and brand content aimed at kids can make both the platform activity and the sponsoring brand’s data practices subject to the law. The amended COPPA Rule took effect on June 23, 2025, with full compliance required by April 22, 2026. It requires separate parental opt-in consent before children’s data is disclosed to third parties for targeted advertising and limits data retention.
Enforcement and Penalties
Enforcement is handled by the FTC and state attorneys general, with civil penalties above $50,000 per violation, and cases regularly reach eight figures. If any part of a campaign is child-directed, the safe default is contextual advertising only, with no personal data collection.
Source: Electronic Code of Federal Regulations: 15 U.S.C. 6501-6506; 16 CFR Part 312
Report a violation: If you believe a business is violating this law, you can file a complaint at FTC Fraud Report.
