COPPA protects privacy of children under what age?

• A. Under 13
• B. Under 18
• C. Under 12
• D. Under 16

Answer: (A)

COPPA targets privacy protection for children younger than 13. It sets a strict rule that online services directed to kids or that knowingly collect information from kids must obtain verifiable parental consent before gathering any personal data from children under 13. Personal information can include names, contact details, or other identifiers, and even certain technical data like IP addresses in many cases. This threshold exists because younger children are less capable of understanding privacy risks, so parents are entrusted with the consent responsibility. For kids 13 and older, COPPA doesn’t apply in the same way, though other laws or platform policies may still govern data practices.