The Federal Trade Commission is proposing stricter rules to protect children using the Internet and other social media from exploitation.
Current rules under the Children’s Online Privacy Act require parental consent before websites can collect personal information, such as name and email address, on children under 13. Proposed regulations would expand the list of data to include a child’s location. Parental approval would also be necessary when a website uses tracking software, or cookies, to build information about a child’s online activities so marketers can target them with ads.
Impressionable and vulnerable young children need guidance that initially should come from their parents. The proposed rules help parents better perform that role.
