If you’ve ever wondered why "13" is the magic age for every social media app from TikTok to Discord, COPPA is the reason. Passed originally in 1998 (back when we were all playing Snake on Nokia bricks), the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act makes it illegal for companies to collect personal info from kids under 13 without "verifiable parental consent."

For years, Big Tech’s solution was just to put a "You must be 13 to enter" sign on the door and then look the other way while millions of 10-year-olds lied about their birthdays. But in 2026, the rules have shifted. The FTC is cracking down, and the definition of "personal information" has expanded to include the stuff our kids use every single day: their faces, their voices, and their precise locations.

The 2025 COPPA updates aren't just about email addresses anymore. They specifically target two things that have become central to childhood: Biometric Data and Behavioral Advertising.

When your kid uses a "Skibidi Toilet" filter on Snapchat or turns themselves into a cat on a Zoom call, the app is mapping their face. Under the new rules, that facial map is considered sensitive biometric data. Apps can no longer just "oops" their way into owning a digital map of your child's features. This is why you’re getting those annoying "Please re-verify your identity" emails from apps you’ve used for years.

We’ve all seen it: your kid watches one video about Minecraft and suddenly every ad they see for the next week is trying to sell them off-brand plastic swords. The 2026 update severely limits "behavioral advertising" for kids. Companies can still show ads, but they can’t track your kid across the internet to build a psychological profile of what they’re likely to click on.

Ask our chatbot about how apps track your child's data

Kids don't care about data privacy. To them, a COPPA pop-up is just a barrier between them and the "Ohio" memes they want to share with their friends.

They love Roblox because it’s a digital playground, but they don't realize that the "entrepreneurship" of making shirts for Robux often involves giving up a lot of personal info. They love TikTok because the algorithm is scary-good at knowing what they like, but they don't realize that "scary-good" is actually just "aggressive data harvesting."

The new COPPA rules make the internet a little "dumber" for kids—meaning the algorithms won't know them as well—and that’s actually a huge win for their digital wellness, even if they complain that their "For You" page isn't as fire as it used to be.

If you’re looking for media that respects the spirit of COPPA without you having to read a 50-page Terms of Service agreement, here are our top picks for 2026:

Ages 2-8 The gold standard. They don't track, they don't sell data, and the content is actually educational. It’s the "safe harbor" of the internet. If you want a break from worrying about what's being harvested, start here.

Ages 6-12 This is a "digital dollhouse" that is remarkably respectful of privacy. It’s a closed ecosystem where kids can be creative without the pressure of social media or aggressive ad-tracking. It’s the anti-Roblox in the best way possible.

Ages 7-12 Look, it’s still Meta (Facebook), but Messenger Kids was built specifically to be COPPA-compliant. Parents have total control over the contact list, and there are no ads. It’s a great "training wheels" app for social media.

Ages 8+ If your kid is starting to do research for school, move them off Google and onto DuckDuckGo. It doesn't track search history or build a profile on the user. It’s a simple switch that protects their data immediately.

Ages 4-7 An oldie but a goodie. Starfall focuses on literacy and math without the bells, whistles, and data-grabs of newer "freemium" educational apps.

Check out our full guide on privacy-safe apps for elementary students

At this age, kids don't need to know about federal laws. They just need to know that their name, their school, and their face are "secret info" that we don't share with the computer without asking a parent first. Use the analogy of a stranger at the park—you wouldn't give them your home address, so don't give it to the app.

This is the time to explain that if an app is free, they are the product. Explain that YouTube and Roblox make money by knowing what you like and showing you ads. The 2025 COPPA rules are there to make sure those companies don't "know" them too well.

Once they hit 13, COPPA's protections largely vanish. This is the "wild west" phase. Talk to them about how the data they give away now (to Instagram or Snapchat) stays with them forever.

Learn more about what happens to data when a kid turns 13

One thing to watch out for in 2026 is "Consent Fatigue." Apps are going to start asking for your permission for everything.

Pro-tip: Just because an app asks for permission doesn't mean you have to give it. Most games, like Among Us, work perfectly fine without knowing your kid's precise GPS coordinates. If an app says it requires your ID or a credit card to verify you, that's a sign they are taking the new 2025 COPPA rules seriously—but it’s also a good moment to ask: "Is this app worth giving my ID to?"

The biggest "No-BS" takeaway here? COPPA is a floor, not a ceiling.

Just because an app is "COPPA Compliant" doesn't mean it's "Good." An app can follow every privacy law in the book and still be a mind-numbing, ad-filled "brain rot" factory. YouTube Kids is legally compliant, but that doesn't stop it from showing your toddler weird, hyper-stimulating content that makes them melt down when you turn it off.

Read our guide on why YouTube Kids isn't always the answer

When your kid complains that they have to "ask mom" again just to open an app, don't just roll your eyes. Use it as a conversation starter.

"I know it's annoying, but the government actually made a new rule to stop these companies from taking a 3D map of your face. I think your face is pretty important, so I'm glad they're asking me first. Let's look at what they want to track together."

This moves you from being the "Tech Police" to being their "Privacy Bodyguard."

The 2025 COPPA updates are a massive win for parents, even if they come with a side of extra notifications. For the first time, the law is acknowledging that our kids' biological data (their faces and voices) belongs to them, not to a server in Silicon Valley.

Next Steps:

Ask our chatbot for a privacy checklist for your child's phone