KidProof · digital products & creators

COPPA children's privacy (US) for digital products & creators

If your service targets children under 13 — or you know you collect their data — COPPA requires verifiable parental consent, data minimization, and parental review/delete rights. The FTC's 2025 amendments add separate opt-in for third-party sharing and a written retention limit. Penalties run to tens of thousands per violation.

In force US rules digital products & creators

What COPPA children's privacy (US) means for digital creators

Creators and digital-product sellers increasingly ship AI-made content, sell on marketplaces, run memberships and market hard — so AI-labeling, platform, review and subscription rules apply even without physical goods.

🏷️ For digital creators: If your content or community appeals to under-13s, COPPA's children's-privacy rules can apply.

Does this apply to you?

This rule applies to digital creators who run an online service directed to children under 13, or knowingly collect their data. Collect data from anyone under 13? COPPA wants verifiable parental consent — and the FTC's 2025 rules just got stricter. Not sure? The free checker tells you in about a minute — no signup.

The checklist

You need to be able to answer "yes" to each of these — the points digital creators most often get caught on:

What's at stake

⚠️ Exposure: up to $53,088 per violation (FTC) · Status: In force.

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Common questions

How does cOPPA children's privacy (US) affect digital creators?

If your content or community appeals to under-13s, COPPA's children's-privacy rules can apply.

Does COPPA apply to me?

It applies if your online service is directed to children under 13, or if you have actual knowledge you collect personal information from under-13s — including via plugins/SDKs you embed.

What counts as verifiable parental consent?

A method reasonably designed to confirm the consenting person is the parent — e.g. a signed consent form, a small card transaction, a government-ID check, or a video call. Keep a record of it.

What changed in the FTC's 2025 amendments?

Among other things: a separate opt-in before disclosing a child's data to third parties or using it for targeted advertising, and a written data-retention policy — you can no longer keep children's data indefinitely.

The source

RuleGoose checks this against the COPPA Rule (16 CFR Part 312), as amended by the FTC in 2025. Read it yourself: eCFR — 16 CFR Part 312 (COPPA Rule) →

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The full picture for digital products & creators

COPPA children's privacy (US) is one of several rules a digital products & creators business has to meet. See the full digital products & creators compliance checklist →, or read the platform-neutral COPPA children's privacy (US) guide.

Informational only, not legal advice, and not affiliated with the FTC. Last reviewed 2026-06-30.