2026 Readiness: Navigating Children’s Online Privacy & Safety Laws

A Strategic Guide for CEOs, Founders, Legal, Product & Security Leaders

The countdown is on. With the COPPA Rule amendments taking effect in April 2026, more than 20 U.S. state youth privacy and safety laws advancing, and new Children’s Codes and online safety regulations emerging globally, next year will reshape how companies protect younger users. Whether your platform targets minors or simply attracts them, you need to take action or face risks of brand damage and enforcement actions.

It’s vital to build in privacy and safety by design, demonstrate compliance, and when required implement verifiable parental consent and age assurance. Compliance in 2026 cannot be a last minute after thought. It requires budget, planning, cross-functional coordination, and independent oversight. Companies that prepare early will reduce risk, avoid costly remediation, and position themselves to grow. Companies that wait could face steep penalties, product delays, and brand damage.

This blog provides an overview of the essential steps for 2026 planning. For a more detailed guide on regulations, your teams can access PRIVO’s Quick Guide To Protecting Minors Online.

What Is Changing in 2026
Major change is underway. Regulators worldwide are imposing higher standards for youth data privacy, safety, and digital rights. Below are the key changes executives must navigate and plan for.

1. COPPA Rule amendments: Significant New Obligations coming into force in April 2026
The FTC’s updated COPPA Rule introduces increased protections that impact security and data governance.

Key updates include:

• A separate opt-in verifiable parental consent (VPC) for targeted advertising and third-party disclosures
• Expanded definition of personal information (including biometrics & government IDs)
• Updated notice and privacy policy requirements
• New approved VPC methods, such as selfie-to-ID match, knowledge-based verification, and “text-plus” for limited-use scenarios
• Mandatory written data retention policies and information security programs
• New transparency and reporting obligations for Safe Harbor programs

📌 Read PRIVO’s full COPPA Amendments breakdown  

2. U.S. States Are Expanding Youth Privacy & Safety Requirements

More than 20 states are advancing new laws requiring:

• Age assurance
• Verifiable parental consent
• High-privacy defaults for minors
• Limits on profiling and behavioral advertising
• Algorithmic or content risk assessments
• Youth-specific reporting and escalation tools

These laws apply even when companies do not intend to serve minors, but minors use the service.

Children’s Codes in the U.S.
Several states are now adopting Children’s Codes similar to the UK code, which require companies to:

• Consider the rights of the child
• Implement age-appropriate protections
• Configure high-privacy default settings
• Maintain transparent policies, notices, and community standards
• Monitor and enforce those standards
• Provide clear reporting tools
• Limit detrimental data use
• Prohibit default profiling
• Keep geo-location off by default
• Avoid dark patterns
• Complete Data Protection Impact Assessments, where applicable
• Implement age assurance when required

App Store Accountability Laws
Several states—including Texas, Utah, and California—have passed or proposed App Store Accountability laws, with additional federal proposals under discussion. These laws focus on age-related controls at the app download or purchase stage, and some (including Texas) are currently being challenged in court.

Critical nuance: App store–level consent applies only to the download or purchase event. It does not replace in-app COPPA, GDPR, or state law requirements. Developers remain responsible for ongoing in-app compliance, including account creation, data collection, messaging, profiling, and third-party data sharing.

3. International Youth Privacy & Safety Regulations
Across global markets, from the UK and EU to India, Australia, and Brazil legislation such as the Online Safety Act, , DPDP Act, Social Media Minimum Age Act, Children Online Privacy Code, Digital ECA, GDPR, EU AI Act, and Digital Services Act signal a clear shift: requirements are increasing and enforcement is coming.

While each regulation differs, they share core requirements:

• Privacy and safety by design
• Data minimization and purpose limitation
• Age-appropriate design
• Age assurance
• Stronger rights for children and parents
• Restrictions on profiling, tracking, and behavioral advertising
• Jurisdiction-specific obligations that adjust based on user location

If your platform reaches global users, compliance must be dynamic and jurisdiction-aware to comply with each regulation.

4. Social Media Bans & Restrictions Are Driving Young Teens Elsewhere

As governments impose age restrictions and, in some regions, outright bans for younger teens on social media, children are actively seeking alternative digital spaces.

This creates a major opportunity for companies building:

• Age-appropriate communities
• Privacy-safe apps
• Youth-friendly features
• Educational, gaming, or creative experiences

Only organizations with robust compliance will meet this demand and succeed.

Why start budgeting now for 2026
Compliance is not simple. It requires planning, resources, and independent verification.

Typical Annual Cost Ranges (Depending on Scale & Risk)

• Startups / SMBs: $10K – $50K+
• Mid-Market: $50K – $150K+
• Enterprise: high six figures+

If your organization hasn’t budgeted for regulatory readiness, now is the time.

Why Your Teams Need Support
Children’s privacy and safety compliance are not a one-time policy update. It requires continuous oversight across engineering, legal, product, trust & safety, and security.

No company should be checking its own homework. Regulators expect independent, neutral oversight particularly in the case of minors’ data.

A third-party partner such as PRIVO will reduce exposure, catch issues internal teams miss, and provides continuous monitoring as your product evolves.

Your budget for 2026 should include the following:

1. Legal & Policy Development
Effective compliance starts with clear interpretation, documentation, and ongoing oversight to ensure policies, products, and partners remain aligned with evolving children’s privacy laws.

• COPPA, GDPR, US state laws, and Children’s Codes specialist compliance
• Oversight of third-party vendors, SDKs, licensees, and ad tech
• Tracking scans & reports
• Vendor assessments
• Privacy notices
• Data retention and security policies,
• Product roadmap & feature review
• Ongoing monitoring and assessments

2. Technology & Operational Infrastructure
Organizations must plan for:

• Verifiable Parental Consent (VPC) systems
• Age assurance technology
• Consent management
• Retention/deletion automation
• Audit logs and compliance reporting
• Data minimization controls

These systems require configuration, validation, and independent oversight.

3. Security & Data Governance
Children’s data is treated as high-risk data by regulators, requiring formal governance, documented safeguards, and demonstrable controls across the data lifecycle.

• Written information security programs (now mandated under COPPA)
• Data protection assessments specific to children
• Data mapping and vendor management
• Retention & deletion policy
  
  

4. Cross-Functional Training & Alignment
A compliant youth experience requires coordination across:

• Engineering
• Product
• Trust & Safety
• Security
• Legal & Compliance
• Customer Support

The Enforcement Reality: Fines Are Only the Beginning
COPPA fines can reach $53,088 per violation, and penalties under GDPR can reach €20 million or 4% of global annual revenue — and these are only examples.

Across U.S. states and international jurisdictions, enforcement authorities now have the power to impose meaningful civil penalties, injunctive relief, and long-term compliance obligations, with fine structures that vary by law and jurisdiction.

But the deeper costs often extend far beyond monetary penalties and may include:

• Years of mandated audits
• Algorithm deletion
• Forced data purges
• Privacy program restructuring
• Brand damage
• Loss of user trust
• Legal fees

Compliance is far less expensive than complying with an enforcement action.

The Opportunity for Forward-Thinking Companies
2026 isn’t just about risk mitigation. It’s about leadership.

As major platforms restrict access for young users, families are seeking safer, trusted, digital environments. Companies that invest in privacy and safety now will win on:

• Trust
• Engagement
• Brand reputation
• Long-term loyalty
• Market differentiation

Why PRIVO
PRIVO has been an FTC-approved COPPA Safe Harbor since 2004, a technology innovator and is one of the most experienced global providers of:

• Age assurance/ Age verification
• Verifiable parental consent
• Children’s privacy certification
• Kids Privacy Assured programs
• Youth data risk assessments
• Cross-jurisdiction compliance
• Continuous monitoring & remediation

PRIVO is the independent expert that regulators, parents, and industry trust.

Get ready for 2026
PRIVO’s updated Quick Guide to Regulations Protecting Children Online is available now to support your planning.

Let us help you enter 2026 confident, compliant, and ready to lead.

➡️ Download the 2026 Regulation Quick Guide
➡️ Contact PRIVO for information on our Kids Privacy Assured programs, age assurance and consent solutions.