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Expands federal online privacy protections for children under 13 and extends many protections to teens ages 13–16 for websites, apps, mobile apps, and connected devices. It restricts collection of personal data, limits targeted advertising and cross‑border storage, requires verifiable consent and deletion/correction rights for teens, and raises security and transparency requirements for covered operators. Directs the Federal Trade Commission to issue guidance, study a common consent mechanism, and publish enforcement and oversight reports; requires the Government Accountability Office to study teen use of fintech and report recommendations. Includes a severability clause so remaining provisions stay in force if part of the law is invalidated.
The bill strengthens privacy, security, and oversight for children, teens, and families—reducing targeted advertising and increasing transparency—but does so at the cost of added compliance burdens and costs for businesses (especially small ones), possible reduced access to some services for users,—
Children and teens (and their parents) gain substantially stronger privacy and data‑control rights: clearer transparency on data collected, new rights to delete/correct/refuse future collection, expanded definitions of personal information (including persistent identifiers and sensitive identifiers), and required reasonable security practices to protect youth data.
Children and teens will face fewer individually targeted ads and manipulative marketing online because the bill limits targeted advertising to youth, reducing exposure to exploitative advertising and related harms.
Federal oversight, transparency, and policy responsiveness are increased: the FTC will study and may develop a verifiable consent mechanism, must publish annual enforcement reporting and recommendations, and GAO will study fintech risks to teens—giving parents, policymakers, and the public better information and pathways to update protections over time.
Consumers—especially families—may face higher costs or fewer free services because operators (and especially smaller companies) will incur new compliance, security, and consent‑system expenses, which can reduce innovation and choices for families.
Some children and teens (and their parents) could lose access to certain websites or apps if platforms block users who refuse data collection or consent, limiting access to services, educational content, or communities for those who opt out.
Deletion rights are limited in practice because operators may retain minimal records of deletion requests and certain data for security or legal reasons, so 'deleted' data may not be fully erased.
Introduced March 4, 2025 by Edward John Markey · Last progress March 16, 2026