April 24, 2026

Hi there,

This spring marks a turning point for children’s privacy. The updated requirements under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) are now in effect, bringing new expectations for how organizations manage age, consent, and data governance.

We’re also seeing that shift play out in real time. Enforcement actions, multimillion-dollar settlements, and a wave of new legislation are reinforcing what many already know: age assurance and consent are no longer optional—they’re expected.

In this issue: U.S. enforcement and policy developments making headlines, growing pressure on platforms to strengthen protections, and global momentum—from the UK, EU, Australia and to emerging markets—shaping what comes next.

United States:

Companies Face New Enforcement Risks Under COPPA Update (Bloomberg Law) Read more > 

Roblox Settles With Three States For $35.8 Million Over Child Safety (Insurance Journal) Read more >

Court temporarily blocks Arkansas's social media law (Axios) Read more > 

Landmark verdict on Google and Meta shows why Age-Appropriate Design Codes are critical to protecting children online (5Rights Foundation) Read more >

Sooner or Later: Oklahoma Joins the Data Privacy Wave (FRESHFIELDS) Read more >

Will California ban social media for kids under 16? Here’s what the candidates for governor say (KRON 4) Read more >

US bill would mandate operating system-level age verification: Parents Decide Act shifts age checks from apps to OS providers, with FTC oversight and parental controls for minors (Biometric Update) Read more >

Lawmakers urge TikTok to strengthen age verification protections for minors (WRNJ) Read more >

Missouri House forges ahead with bill targeting AI deepfakes and youth social media use (Missouri Independent) Read more >

Contextualizing the Proposed SECURE Data Act in the State Privacy Landscape (FPF) Read more >

Illinois House approves Governor's initiative to regulate social media algorithms (Captial News Illinois) Read more >

Congressman Introduces Bill to Ban Artificial Intelligence Chatbots in Children's Toys after chatbots got weird with children (Boing Boing) Read more >

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Europe & UK:

Ofcom and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) have published a joint statement about the main areas of interaction between online safety and data protection as they relate to age assurance. (Ofcom) Read more >

EU Commission investigates Snapchat's compliance with child protection rules under the Digital Services Act (European Commission) Read more >

Ofcom pressing platforms to prioritise safety by design: Scrutinising Year 2 risk assessments (Ofcom) Read more >

Ofcom investigates Telegram and teen chat sites (Ofcom) Read more >

EU age verification app “fixed,” but experts say it’s still a security disaster (CyberNews) Read more >  

Austria to ban social media for children under 14 (RTE) Read more > 

One click too many? 75% of UK parents fear their kids aren't making safe choices online (ICO) Read more >

ICO's latest campaign empowers parents: Switched on to privacy (ICO) Read more >

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Other News:

Australia eSafety asks gaming giants what they are doing to prevent grooming and radicalisation (eSafety) Read more > 

Singapore tightens controls on app downloads for those below 18 (VN Express) Read more >

Momentum for age-appropriate design grows across Latin America (5Rights Foundation) Read more >

Teen boys are dating AI chatbots (Channel 4 News) Read more >

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