Key Takeaways
- Children's apps and games routinely collect behavioral, location, and device data.
- Federal law (COPPA) offers some protections, but enforcement gaps and workarounds are common.
- School-issued platforms may share student data with third parties under terms parents rarely read.
- Default privacy settings on kids' devices and accounts are rarely the most protective option.
- Parental consent forms don't always mean data stays private — read what you're agreeing to.
Why Children's Online Privacy Is a Different Problem
When a child opens an app, loads a game, or logs into a school learning platform, data collection begins almost immediately. That data can include device identifiers, behavioral patterns, in-app purchases, and in some cases location. Unlike adults, children cannot meaningfully consent to these practices — and the adults responsible for them often don't realize how much is being gathered.
Federal law in the United States provides some baseline protections. The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires verifiable parental consent before operators collect personal data from children under 13. But COPPA has well-documented gaps: it applies only to operators knowingly targeting children, age verification is unreliable, and enforcement actions, while real, cover a fraction of the market. Understanding the terminology involved can help — our guide to key online privacy terms explains concepts like data minimization and third-party tracking in plain language.
The mistakes below are common not because parents are careless, but because the systems involved are genuinely complex and the risks are rarely made visible.
Assuming a 'Kids' label means the app is privacy-safe.
Why it happens: App store age ratings and 'designed for kids' badges signal content appropriateness, not data minimization. Parents reasonably assume the label covers privacy.
Skipping the permissions review when installing children's apps.
Why it happens: Installation prompts move fast, and most adults tap through permission screens without reading them, a habit that carries over to setting up children's devices.
Using a parent's account to access children's platforms, bypassing age-gate protections.
Why it happens: It feels easier to log into an existing account than to create a child-specific profile, especially when a child is eager to start playing.
Overlooking data collection in school-issued apps and learning platforms.
Why it happens: Because the school endorses the tool, parents assume oversight is already in place. In reality, parental awareness of edtech data practices tends to be limited.
Not talking to children about what they share in app profiles and in-game chats.
Why it happens: Privacy conversations with children are often framed around stranger danger, not data. Parents may not realize in-game usernames, avatars, or chat messages can reveal personal details.
Ignoring how children's data can feed into data broker profiles.
Why it happens: Most parents don't know that data brokers — companies that compile and sell personal profiles — can begin building records on individuals even in childhood.
Taking a More Active Role in Your Child's Digital Privacy
Protecting children's digital privacy doesn't require technical expertise — it requires attention and a willingness to slow down at moments that are designed to move quickly. Reviewing permissions, reading key parts of privacy policies, and keeping lines of communication open with children are all practical starting points.
Children's Data Has Long-Term Consequences
Unlike adults, children cannot fully grasp the implications of data collection — yet profiles built from their digital activity can persist for years. Data gathered during childhood may influence advertising targeting, and in some cases could be exposed in breaches long before a child reaches adulthood. Parents should treat their child's data with the same seriousness as sensitive financial information.
It's also worth auditing the accounts and devices your child already uses. Many privacy controls are not set to the most protective option by default. Our walkthrough of privacy settings worth actually checking covers the controls most people overlook across common platforms, several of which apply directly to family accounts.
School Platforms Are Not Automatically Private
Educational technology vendors often operate under separate — and sometimes weaker — privacy agreements than consumer apps. Even when a school signs a data privacy agreement with a vendor, parents should request copies and ask specifically whether student data is used to train algorithms, sold to third parties, or retained after the school year ends.
Finally, keep in mind that no single action is sufficient. Children's digital lives evolve quickly — new apps, new platforms, new school tools. Building a habit of periodic review, rather than a one-time setup, is the more durable approach. For a grounding check on what privacy measures actually accomplish, it's also worth reading about the online privacy myths that give people a false sense of security so expectations stay realistic.
72%
Of popular kids' apps share data with third parties
A 2022 analysis by the International Digital Accountability Council found that a significant majority of top-ranked children's apps transmitted data to outside parties, often including advertising networks.
13
Minimum age COPPA protections apply below
The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires verifiable parental consent before collecting personal data from children under 13 in the United States, though enforcement and compliance vary.