U.S. Code » Title 15 » Chapter CHAPTER 91— CHILDREN’S ONLINE PRIVACY PROTECTION

15 U.S.C. § 6501

Definitions

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In this chapter:(1) Child

The term “child” means an individual under the age of 13.

(2) OperatorThe term “operator”—(A) means any person who operates a website located on the Internet or an online service and who collects or maintains personal information from or about the users of or visitors to such website or online service, or on whose behalf such information is collected or maintained, where such website or online service is operated for commercial purposes, including any person offering products or services for sale through that website or online service, involving commerce—(i) among the several States or with 1 or more foreign nations;(ii) in any territory of the United States or in the District of Columbia, or between any such territory and—(I) another such territory; or(II) any State or foreign nation; or(iii) between the District of Columbia and any State, territory, or foreign nation; but(B) does not include any nonprofit entity that would otherwise be exempt from coverage under section 45 of this title.(3) Commission

The term “Commission” means the Federal Trade Commission.

(4) DisclosureThe term “disclosure” means, with respect to personal information—(A) the release of personal information collected from a child in identifiable form by an operator for any purpose, except where such information is provided to a person other than the operator who provides support for the internal operations of the website and does not disclose or use that information for any other purpose; and(B) making personal information collected from a child by a website or online service directed to children or with actual knowledge that such information was collected from a child, publicly available in identifiable form, by any means including by a public posting, through the Internet, or through—(i) a home page of a website;(ii) a pen pal service;(iii) an electronic mail service;(iv) a message board; or(v) a chat room.(5) Federal agency

The term “Federal agency” means an agency, as that term is defined in section 551(1) of title 5.

(6) Internet

The term “Internet” means collectively the myriad of computer and telecommunications facilities, including equipment and operating software, which comprise the interconnected world-wide network of networks that employ the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, or any predecessor or successor protocols to such protocol, to communicate information of all kinds by wire or radio.

(7) Parent

The term “parent” includes a legal guardian.

(8) Personal informationThe term “personal information” means individually identifiable information about an individual collected online, including—(A) a first and last name;(B) a home or other physical address including street name and name of a city or town;(C) an e-mail address;(D) a telephone number;(E) a Social Security number;(F) any other identifier that the Commission determines permits the physical or online contacting of a specific individual; or(G) information concerning the child or the parents of that child that the website collects online from the child and combines with an identifier described in this paragraph.(9) Verifiable parental consent

The term “verifiable parental consent” means any reasonable effort (taking into consideration available technology), including a request for authorization for future collection, use, and disclosure described in the notice, to ensure that a parent of a child receives notice of the operator’s personal information collection, use, and disclosure practices, and authorizes the collection, use, and disclosure, as applicable, of personal information and the subsequent use of that information before that information is collected from that child.

(10) Website or online service directed to children(A) In generalThe term “website or online service directed to children” means—(i) a commercial website or online service that is targeted to children; or(ii) that portion of a commercial website or online service that is targeted to children.(B) Limitation

A commercial website or online service, or a portion of a commercial website or online service, shall not be deemed directed to children solely for referring or linking to a commercial website or online service directed to children by using information location tools, including a directory, index, reference, pointer, or hypertext link.

(11) Person

The term “person” means any individual, partnership, corporation, trust, estate, cooperative, association, or other entity.

(12) Online contact information

The term “online contact information” means an e-mail address or another substantially similar identifier that permits direct contact with a person online.

(Pub. L. 105–277, div. C, title XIII, § 1302, Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681–728.)Statutory Notes and Related SubsidiariesEffective Date

Pub. L. 105–277, div. C, title XIII, § 1308, Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681–735, provided that: “Sections 1303(a), 1305, and 1306 of this title [enacting sections 6502(a), 6504, and 6505 of this title] take effect on the later of—“(1) the date that is 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act [Oct. 21, 1998]; or“(2) the date on which the Commission rules on the first application filed for safe harbor treatment under section 1304 [enacting section 6503 of this title] if the Commission does not rule on the first such application within one year after the date of enactment of this Act, but in no case later than the date that is 30 months after the date of enactment of this Act.”

Short Title

Pub. L. 105–277, div. C, title XIII, § 1301, Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681–728, provided that: “This title [enacting this chapter] may be cited as the ‘Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998’.”

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 34 cases (21 in the last 5 years), 2004–2026 · leading case: In Re Nickelodeon Consum. Privacy Litig., 827 F.3d 262 (3rd Cir. 2016).
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In Re Nickelodeon Consum. Privacy Litig., 827 F.3d 262 (3rd Cir. 2016). · cites it 2× “15 U.S.C. § 6501 (8). 152 . 15 U.S.C. § 6809 (4).”
United States v. Kimberly Smith Hastie, 854 F.3d 1298 (11th Cir. 2017). · cites it 2× “The word “including” also defeats Hastie’s argument that because Congress specifically included email addresses as an example of “personal information” in the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, 15 U.S.C. § 6501 (8), Congress intended to exclude it from the Driver’s…”
imdb.com Inc v. Xavier Becerra, 962 F.3d 1111 (9th Cir. 2020). “§ 1232g (educational agencies); 15 U.S.C. §§ 6501–6506 (websites). Such restrictions differ significantly from AB 1687, which by its terms prohibits the publication of information without regard to how it was obtained.”
Fraley v. Facebook, Inc., 966 F. Supp. 2d 939 (N.D. Cal. 2013). · cites it 2× “See 15 U.S.C. §§ 6501 et seq. Plaintiffs faced other significant barriers to class certification and/or to eventual recovery as well, including the fact that many Facebook users often post “profile photos” that are not their own image, while some do not use their own name…”
McDonald v. Aps, 385 F. Supp. 3d 1022 (N.D. Cal. 2019). “Plaintiffs filed amended complaints as a result of prior proceedings, mainly to avoid potential preemption under the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 6501 - 6506 ("COPPA"). See Dkt.”
Netchoice, LLC v. Bonta, 113 F.4th 1101 (9th Cir. 2024). “Constitution; (5) preemption by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 6501–06; and (6) preemption by the Communications Decency Act of 1996, specifically, 47 U.”
Detrina Solomon v. Flipps Media, Inc., 136 F.4th 41 (2d Cir. 2025). “15 U.S.C. § 6501 (8); see In re Nickelodeon, 827 F.”
Ctr. for Digit. Democracy v. Fed. Trade Comm'n, 189 F. Supp. 3d 151 (D.D.C. 2016). “Although Congress directed the FTC to adopt regulations to implement COPPA, 15 U.S.C. § 6501 (b), it vested primary responsibility for monitoring and enforcing operators’ compliance with the COP-PA Rule with the safp harbor programs, not the FTC, 5 id.”
Ex Parte Nat'l W. Life Ins. Co., 899 So. 2d 218 (Ala. 2004). “In 1998, one year before the enactment of the GLBA, Congress enacted the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, 15 U.S.C. § 6501 et seq. ("COPPA"). The privacy provision in COPPA, which has a somewhat similar structure to the one in the GLBA, prohibits the disclosure…”
Sec. Indus. & Fin. Markets Ass'n v. Garfield, 469 F. Supp. 2d 25 (D. Conn. 2007). “In April 2000, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) issued the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule in response the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, 15 U.S.C. § 6501 , et seq. The rule applies to operators of commercial websites and online services that collect…”
Cara Jones v. Google LLC (9th Cir. 2022). · cites it 2× “GOOGLE LLC, ET AL OPINION McKEOWN, Circuit Judge: The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”), 15 U.S.C. §§ 6501–06, gives the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) authority to regulate the online collection of personal identifying information about children under the age…”
Cara Jones v. Google LLC (9th Cir. 2023). · cites it 2× “OPINION McKEOWN, Circuit Judge: The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”), 15 U.S.C. §§ 6501–06, gives the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) authority to regulate the online collection of personal identifying information about children under the age of 13.”
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