Terms of Agreement for Websites Collecting Data on Children

[Anonymous]

I wanted to put a posting out for awareness with regards to Children's Privacy, Social Media, and existing laws. The Children's Online Privacy and Protection Act has been out since July of 2013. The Rule was designed to protect children under age 13 while accounting for the dynamic nature of the Internet.

https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/gu...uently-asked-questions#General Questions

For example, if you look at the Terms of Agreement for sites such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and so forth, it states that:

1.You must be at least 13 years old to use the Service.

For link reference, it's
https://help.instagram.com/478745558852511
https://www.snap.com/en-US/terms/

If the fact that this United States law doesn't scare you, then the consequence for violation for those sites most likely will. There are seriou monetary punishments, not to mention what additional negligence and perjury charges for lying about one's age. Anyone, including the website owners, can report your child, your user id, and so forth. In cases that have taken place due to suicides and violence, 14 year-olds are charged and will go to juvenile detention. For minors 12 and under, they will no longer be allowed to attend their current school and the legal guardians may be charged in place of the minor.

So when you under 13 year-old son/daughter is asking you if he/she can have an Instagram, Snapchat, etc. account, then the answer is that it's against the law. When they are 13, a decision between the guardians and that child can be made legally.

In conversations that I've had with elementary and early middle school parents/guardians, I have found that there is lack of knowledge in this area since the discussion revolves around whether the parent allows it or not. I didn't realize how many people were not aware of the COPPA law in the United States as well as the terms of agreements on these sites.

Please remember cyber safety. The reason this is out there is to protect our little ones. Why? From possible end results like kidnapping, cyber bullying, suicides, and identity theft. You would be amazed at how many kids have had their identities stolen since they are easy targets, only to realize it at age 18.

Anyways, please be mindful of all this.