Congress expands child privacy law to teens, bans targeted ads to minors

What it does

This bill strengthens the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by expanding protections to include teens ages 13–16, broadening the definition of 'personal information' to cover persistent identifiers and biometric data, and restricting companies from collecting and using children's and teens' data for targeted advertising. It requires verifiable consent from parents (for children) or teens themselves before data collection, mandates deletion rights, and limits data retention. The bill also requires the FTC to study fintech products' effects on teen privacy and mental health.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is regulatory tightening—expanding COPPA's scope to teens, restricting data collection and targeted advertising, and mandating parental/teen consent and deletion rights. It is a consumer protection measure, not a carve-out or subsidy.

What the text implies

• The 'knowledge fairly implied on the basis of objective circumstances' standard for determining if a user is a child/teen is subjective and may create enforcement ambiguity; the FTC guidance (due in 180 days) will be critical to interpretation but is explicitly non-binding on enforcement.
• Educational institutions can bypass parental consent if they have a written agreement with an operator limiting use to 'educational purposes'—the definition of 'educational purposes' is not specified, potentially allowing broad data use within schools.

The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.

Who it affects

Children and teens gain explicit rights to delete their data, challenge inaccuracies, and opt out of targeted advertising; parents gain transparency and control over data collection. Companies lose the ability to profile minors for ad targeting and must implement stronger security.