As 2025 draws to a close, regulators are making it clear: children’s privacy and safety will define the year ahead. The FTC issued a significant enforcement action against an ed tech provider, and the U.S. Court of Appeals allowedFlorida’s HB3 Actto be enforced while the constitutional challenge continues. On Capitol Hill, Congress reviewed 19 bills aimed at protecting kids online that have become increasingly contentious.
Across the globe, Canada urged stronger youth-privacy standards in ed tech, the UK ICO opened an investigation into mobile game compliance with the Children’s Code, and Ireland signaled interest in following Australia with a potential social media ban for minors.
See our blog about Florida's HB3 Act below, along with more industry news and our latest announcement.
U.S. Federal Actions & Hearings
FTC Takes Action Against Education Technology Provider for Failing to Secure Students’ Personal Data(FTC)Read more >>
Congress’s Bipartisan Child Online Safety Coalition is Unraveling (Tech Policy Press)Read more >>
Hearing Recap: “Safeguarding Student Privacy and Parental Rights: A Review of FERPA and PPRA”(U.S. House Committee on Education and Workforce)Read more >>
Federal preemption could disrupt states’ child safety protections, expert warns (StateScoop)Read more >>
The race to regulate AI has sparked a federal vs. state showdown (Tech Crunch) Read more >>
Federal App Store Law Could Force Age Checks for All (Gadget Hacks) Read more >>
U.S. State Laws & Enforcement
Florida Attorney General will now ‘aggressively enforce’ social media restrictions on minors: Putting all big tech companies on notice (Miami Times) Read more >>
25 U.S. States Want to Ban Minors from Social Media. Will Any Succeed? (Jezebel) Read more >>
New Vermont Bill Requires Age Checks for Websites: What S.69 Means for You (Burlington Free Press) Read more >>
New Michigan Bill Requires Parental Consent for Social Media Users Under 18 (TMDN)Read more >>
NetChoice Can Proceed With Challenge To Maryland Kids Code (MediaPost) Read more >>
Hawaii is suing TikTok. Here’s why (Hawaii News Now)Read more >>
Global Regulatory Roundup
Canada's privacy regulators call for strong protection of children's privacy in the development and use of educational technologies (Press Release)Read more >>
UK's ICO Set to Check If Mobile Games Comply with Children’s Code (Infosecurity Magazine) Read more >>
Online Safety Risk Assessments in the UK- Year one (Ofcom)Read more >>
Online Safety in 2025: A summary of the technology sector’s response to the UK’s new online safety rules (Ofcom)Read more >>
EU states strike deal on chat-scanning law (DigWatch)Read more >>
EU Parliament: Social media for under 16s only with parental consent (Heise Online)Read more >>
Ireland examining social media ban for children(RTE)Read more >>
Australia Imposes Strict Social Media Ban for Minors: The Unintended Consequences (Holistic) Read more >>
We’re excited to announce the launch of the PRIVO Discovery Platform, a new destination designed to highlight the companies leading the way in children’s online privacy and safety.
The Discovery Platform brings together our Kids Privacy Assured™ members and PRIVO iD™ Platform partners—from global household names to fast-growing innovators—into one easily searchable space. Our members continually open their doors for review, evaluation, and improvement. Their commitment has a measurable global impact—together, they protect the privacy of billions of minors across more than 230 countries.
To all our members: thank you for your partnership, trust, and dedication to doing what’s right for children and families online. This platform is a celebration of your ongoing work and leadership.
The Eleventh Circuit has lifted the injunction that previously blocked enforcement of Florida’s minor-protection law, allowing the state to move forward while litigation continues. The HB 3 Act restricts social media access for users under 14, requires parental consent for ages 14–15, and mandates age verification for harmful content. With more than 4.3 million minors in Florida, companies operating in the state must ensure they have compliant age verification and parental consent processes in place.
