Privacy
Plain-English meaning
COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act) is designed to protect the privacy of children under 13. In everyday terms, “COPPA compliant” usually means the app is built to avoid collecting or sharing kids’ personal information without the right safeguards and parent involvement.
Parent-friendly takeaway: a kids’ learning app shouldn’t need personal info to work.
What parents can look for
Quick checklist
- A clear privacy policy written for parents (not just lawyers).
- No asking kids for personal info (full name, address, phone) inside the app.
- Ads and analytics (if any) should be handled with child-directed settings.
- No open-ended chat, DMs, or public profiles for kids.
- Simple parent contact method for questions or requests.
Questions to ask an app
- Does the app collect personal info (name, email, location) — and is it necessary?
- Is there advertising? If yes, is it treated as child-directed?
- Can parents request deletion of data?
- Is there any social feature (chat, posting) that could expose kids?
Sources
- U.S. FTC: COPPA information for parents and general overview. View source