Easily lost in the commotion is the work done by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) pursuant to its mandate under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).  Notwithstanding popular belief, in my opinion, COPPA remains the most child-protective privacy law in the world.  And, the FTC has again established itself as the most active and effective regulator of children’s privacy rights.

From January 2018 to February 2019, the FTC settled three major COPPA cases.  First, on January 8, it announced a $650,000 COPPA settlement with VTech Electronics entities (“VTech”), the FTC’s first enforcement action involving an Internet-connected toy.  Less than a month later, the FTC announced a $500,000 COPPA settlement with online talent site, Explore Talent.  Then, in February 2019, the FTC entered into a COPPA settlement with the operators of mobile app, Musical.ly (now known as TikTok), for $5.7 million—the largest ever monetary penalty in a COPPA case.

In addition, state Attorneys General—also empowered to protect children’s privacy rights under COPPA—were quite active.  The Attorneys General for New Jersey and New York, each of which has a long-established track record in children’s privacy, announced COPPA settlements:  the New Jersey Attorney General entered into a $100,000 COPPA settlement with Meitu, Inc., a Chinese operator of child-directed websites, and the New York Attorney General entered into a $4.95 million COPPA settlement (the largest ever at the time) with Oath (formerly AOL).  In addition, the New Mexico Attorney General filed a COPPA complaint against Tiny Lab Products, the maker of mobile applications allegedly directed to young children; its advertising partners; and the mobile storefront on which its apps appeared.

There are numerous lessons to be learned from recent enforcement activity.

• FTC Commissioners Chopra and Slaughter have put individuals on notice that if they make or ratify the decisions that violate COPPA, they could find themselves held personally liable.
• Third parties (especially companies in the advertising ecosystem) are in regulators’ crosshairs. Operators of websites and mobile apps must do their diligence upfront and on a continuing basis.
• Regulators are scrutinizing the designation of online services as “mixed audience” and “general audience,” examining an online service’s content, including advertising; marketing of the online service; public and internal statements about the intended audience; and empirical evidence.
• Inclusion of a mobile app in Google Play’s Designated for Families section will be viewed as evidence the mobile app is either child-directed or mixed audience.
• COPPA requires reasonable measures to protect data security. Many COPPA investigations begin as a result of a data breach.
• COPPA applies equally to operators located outside the United States so long as those operators are directing their services to children in the United States or have actual knowledge they are collecting personal information from children in the United States.
• Internet-connect products directed to children under 13 years old are subject to COPPA.

The post From VTech to Musical.ly: U.S. Regulators Remain the Most Active Enforcers of Children’s Privacy Rights appeared first on ESRB Ratings.

Easily lost in the commotion is the work done by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) pursuant to its mandate under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).  Notwithstanding popular belief, in my opinion, COPPA remains the most child-protective privacy law in the world.  And, the FTC has again established itself as the most active and effective regulator of children’s privacy rights.

From January 2018 to February 2019, the FTC settled three major COPPA cases.  First, on January 8, it announced a $650,000 COPPA settlement with VTech Electronics entities (“VTech”), the FTC’s first enforcement action involving an Internet-connected toy.  Less than a month later, the FTC announced a $500,000 COPPA settlement with online talent site, Explore Talent.  Then, in February 2019, the FTC entered into a COPPA settlement with the operators of mobile app, Musical.ly (now known as TikTok), for $5.7 million—the largest ever monetary penalty in a COPPA case.

In addition, state Attorneys General—also empowered to protect children’s privacy rights under COPPA—were quite active.  The Attorneys General for New Jersey and New York, each of which has a long-established track record in children’s privacy, announced COPPA settlements:  the New Jersey Attorney General entered into a $100,000 COPPA settlement with Meitu, Inc., a Chinese operator of child-directed websites, and the New York Attorney General entered into a $4.95 million COPPA settlement (the largest ever at the time) with Oath (formerly AOL).  In addition, the New Mexico Attorney General filed a COPPA complaint against Tiny Lab Products, the maker of mobile applications allegedly directed to young children; its advertising partners; and the mobile storefront on which its apps appeared.

There are numerous lessons to be learned from recent enforcement activity.

• FTC Commissioners Chopra and Slaughter have put individuals on notice that if they make or ratify the decisions that violate COPPA, they could find themselves held personally liable.
• Third parties (especially companies in the advertising ecosystem) are in regulators’ crosshairs. Operators of websites and mobile apps must do their diligence upfront and on a continuing basis.
• Regulators are scrutinizing the designation of online services as “mixed audience” and “general audience,” examining an online service’s content, including advertising; marketing of the online service; public and internal statements about the intended audience; and empirical evidence.
• Inclusion of a mobile app in Google Play’s Designated for Families section will be viewed as evidence the mobile app is either child-directed or mixed audience.
• COPPA requires reasonable measures to protect data security. Many COPPA investigations begin as a result of a data breach.
• COPPA applies equally to operators located outside the United States so long as those operators are directing their services to children in the United States or have actual knowledge they are collecting personal information from children in the United States.
• Internet-connect products directed to children under 13 years old are subject to COPPA.

The post From VTech to Musical.ly: U.S. Regulators Remain the Most Active Enforcers of Children’s Privacy Rights appeared first on ESRB Ratings.

1. Gaming encourages persistence

It’s important to first understand why children love video games. Young gamers often cite the sense of freedom and self-dedication as key draws for them to play. It might be hard to see through their twitching fingers, but games allow kids to set goals, tackle challenges, solve problems and take risks. This teaches children how to fail, try again and overcome obstacles without the fear they may feel in real life.

Many parents are simply unaware of the variety of potential benefits their child may gain from playing games.

2. Gaming increases physical activity

Many gamers are also inspired by their favorite games to become more active in their every-day lives, not less. A Harvard study found that kids who played sports games were frequently motivated to take up athletics in real life! Some children are even motivated to develop more competitive techniques for activities in which they were already interested. As Pokémon GO proved, a free mobile game can kick off a population-wide increase in physical activity as fans of all ages search for illusive Pokémon.

3. Gaming helps with socialization

Games can also encourage positive social behavior. Being a popular activity among your kids’ friends, games are a common conversation topic in the real world that can nurture and strengthen a budding friendship. Whether talking strategies at recess or executing them together, kids can also develop their teamwork, collaboration and leadership skills while enjoying friendly competition with their pals… or even parents.

Understanding the benefits of playing games in responsible doses should ease many parents’ concerns. That said, it’s probably not a good idea for your child to sit in front of a game console for hours on end assuming it will get them into an Ivy League university. Parents should not only monitor playtime — balancing it with school responsibilities, physical activity and social obligations — but carefully consider whether the games they’re playing are age-appropriate.

Bottom line, enjoying the right games under the right circumstances can be fun, while also being good for you and your family.

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