May 29, 2026

Hi there,

The pace of change in children’s privacy and online safety isn’t slowing down.

With the updated COPPA Rule now in effect, organizations are reassessing how they collect data, verify age, obtain consent, and manage risk across their digital services. Meanwhile, companies subject to South Carolina’s Age-Appropriate Design Code are preparing their required assessments and public reports ahead of the July 1 deadline—a process PRIVO is actively helping organizations navigate.

In this month’s roundup, we’ve gathered key enforcement actions, legislative developments, and global policy updates—as well as our latest insights on Utah's State-Endorsed Digital Identity (SEDI) and updates to the PRIVO Regulation Guide.

United States:

TikTok Nears $400M Settlement With DOJ Over Children’s Privacy Violations (Net Influencer) Read more >

FTC Begins Enforcing the TAKE IT DOWN Act (FTC) Read more >

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Sues Netflix for Spying on Kids and Consumers by Illegally Collecting Users’ Data Without Their Knowledge or Consent (AG of Texas) Read more >

Texas sues Discord, arguing online messaging platform endangered children, misled users (ABC 13) Read more >

Lawsuits Exposed How Chatbots Endanger Children. Can the Senate's New Bills Fix It? (Tech Policy Press) Read more >

Meta settles social media addiction case brought by rural Kentucky school district (NBC News) Read more >

Connecticut launches investigation into Roblox, with focus on child safety (CT Mirror) Read more >

California Department of Justice Releases Proposed "Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction Act (SB 976)” Regulations (State of California Department of Justice) Read more >

Meta, YouTube ask judge to toss LA jury verdict in social media addiction case (The Hill) Read more >

Utah Takes Aim at VPNs With New Age-Verification Law. What It Means (PCMag) Read more >

Colorado and California Exempt Open Source from Age Attestation (System 76) Read more >

The Hidden National Security Risk in AI: Children as Training Data (Rick Lane) Read more >

Senate Introduces Bills Targeting Kids’ AI Safety and Literacy (Broadband Breakfast) Read more >

Bipartisan Coalition of 44 Attorneys General Opposes KIDS Act, H.R. 7757, Calls for Stronger Online Protections (National Association of Attorneys General) Read more >

Minnesota lawmakers pass bill requiring parental consent for kids' social media accounts (Faribault Daily News) Read more >

Michigan Senate passes ‘Kids Over Clicks’ bill targeting social media addiction, online exploitation (Civic Media) Read more >

The Ninth Circuit Provides a Potential Roadmap for Future Child Safety Laws (Tech Policy.Press) Read more >

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Europe & UK:

UK Children and parents: media use and attitudes report 2026 (Ofcom) Read more >

Children’s groups call on UK Government to tackle root causes of online harm (5Rights Foundation) Read more >

Younger phone owners, the rise of AI, and consumption over creation – our latest look at UK children’s media lives (Ofcom) Read more >

What’s Next for Age Assurance Laws in Europe? (Wilson Sosini) Read more >

The world is matching Australia's social media ban. The UK is set to join the crackdown (ABC News) Read more >

Europe’s Age Verification Push Raises Privacy Issues Beyond Data Confidentiality (Tech Policy Press) Read more >

Investigation into an online suicide discussion forum and its compliance with duties to protect its users from illegal content (Ofcom) Read more >

Scottish Government on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in schools: guidelines and guardrails (Scottish Government) Read more >

Meta found in breach of EU law for failing to keep children off platforms (The Guardian) Read more >

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Other News:

Privacy Commissioner of Canada launches new age assurance guidance to support organizations (Office of Privacy Commissioner of Canada) Read more >

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) sets new age verification standards for social platforms (Marketing-Interactive) Read more >

The New Wild West of AI Kids’ Toys (Wired) Read more >

Beyond the Engagement Trap: A New Design Architecture for Children & AI (Joan Ganz Cooney Center) Read more >

Pulse Survey: How Teens Are Using AI to Learn, Create, and Connect—Insights from Brazil, France, and the United States (Boston Children's Digital Wellness Lab) Read more >

Click to follow PRIVO for industry news updates!

Beyond Age Verification: Why Utah’s SEDI Initiative Could Redefine Digital Trust for Families, Businesses, and the Internet

As governments worldwide grapple with online safety, privacy, fraud, and age assurance, Utah’s State-Endorsed Digital Identity (SEDI) initiative is introducing a bold new vision for trusted digital identity infrastructure.

Rather than relying on invasive data collection or surveillance-based verification, SEDI explores how privacy-preserving digital identity could empower individuals, strengthen family controls, and help businesses meet growing regulatory expectations around child safety and trust online.

PRIVO is excited to be part of this important conversation. Recently, PRIVO CEO Denise Tayloe participated in Utah’s SEDI Summit alongside policymakers, privacy leaders, and technology innovators discussing the future of child protection, digital trust, and age assurance.

In our latest blog, we explore why companies across industries — from social media and gaming to healthcare, education, AI, and digital commerce — should be paying close attention.

Read the blog

South Carolina’s Social Media Regulation Act

South Carolina’s Social Media Regulation Act introduces Age-Appropriate Design Code requirements for online services likely to be accessed by minors under 18. The law includes privacy- and safety-by-design obligations, parental tools, restrictions on data use and profiling, harm reporting mechanisms, and annual independent public audits.

With the July 1 reporting deadline approaching, covered companies should already be preparing the assessments, documentation, and public disclosures required under the law.

Our latest blog breaks down the requirements, enforcement considerations, and practical steps organizations should be taking now.

Read the blog

UPDATED Quick Guide: Regulations Protecting Minors Online

We’ve updated our popular reference guide to reflect the latest developments in children’s privacy, age assurance, online safety, and youth-focused regulations. A helpful resource for organizations navigating today’s evolving compliance landscape.

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