Why Children’s Data Needs Extra Protection
Children today are growing up in a world shaped by technology. From online learning platforms to gaming apps and YouTube, their digital footprints start forming at an early age often before they even understand what data privacy means. While these tools offer convenience and learning opportunities, they also collect large volumes of sensitive personal data. Unlike adults, children cannot fully comprehend the consequences of how their information is used or misused. This makes them especially vulnerable to profiling, tracking, behavioural advertising, and even exploitation.
Recognizing this, data protection laws around the world have adopted special provisions for the handling of children's data. Whether it’s the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the United States’ Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA), or China’s Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL), the global privacy landscape has evolved to treat children's data with greater caution. But each law defines children differently, uses unique enforcement mechanisms, and sets its own boundaries for consent and commercial practices. This blog explores and compares how these frameworks are designed to protect young users and what lessons can be drawn by businesses, developers, and privacy professionals.
What Global Privacy Laws Address Children’s Data
Under the GDPR, children are considered especially vulnerable data subjects. The regulation sets the age of digital consent at 16, though member states can reduce it to as low as 13. It mandates that companies obtain verified parental consent before collecting or processing a child’s personal data, particularly for services like social media platforms or online games. GDPR also requires that user interfaces be designed in a way that is understandable and accessible to children, and enforces strict penalties for violations, which can go up to 4% of the global annual turnover.
In contrast, COPPA enforced in the United States targets children under the age of 13. It requires websites and online services to obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting any personal information from minors. The law covers a broad range of identifiers including names, geolocation, IP addresses, photos, and even device cookies. Additionally, it mandates the display of clear privacy policies and gives parents the right to access and delete their children’s data.
India’s newly enacted Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDPA), takes an even stricter stance by defining a child as anyone under the age of 18. This means that nearly all school-going internet users fall under the protected category. The law prohibits behavioural tracking, targeted advertising, and any form of profiling for children, and mandates explicit parental consent for data processing. While this high threshold has raised concerns about its practicality, a proposed amendment is under discussion to lower the age to 13–16, aligning it with global norms.
China’s Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL) is relatively new but robust. It considers children under the age of 14 as a protected class and requires data handlers to obtain parental consent and implement specialized rules for how that data is processed. The law emphasizes purpose limitation and minimization meaning companies can collect only what is necessary and must not retain it indefinitely.
What Makes Enforcement Difficult
Even though the laws are in place, enforcement remains a major challenge. Age verification online is notoriously unreliable most websites rely on users to self-report their age, which children can easily falsify. Moreover, global platforms often cater to diverse jurisdictions, making it complicated to ensure compliance across overlapping regulations. For example, a mobile app created in the U.S. but used widely in Europe must follow both COPPA and GDPR.
Another grey area arises in balancing parental control with a child’s evolving right to privacy. Should teenagers have the ability to restrict their parents from accessing their digital data? Different countries answer this question differently, and ethical considerations vary depending on cultural contexts.
Why It Matters for Businesses
Companies building products for young audiences especially in sectors like education technology, entertainment, or child wellness must treat privacy compliance as a foundational design element, not an afterthought. Features like age-appropriate user interfaces, data minimization, and in-app privacy notifications are critical to avoiding penalties and building long-term trust with parents and guardians. Privacy by design is not just a legal mandate under laws like the GDPR it's also good business practice.
Designing for a Safer Digital Childhood
Protecting children’s data is not just a legal obligation it is a moral imperative. Unlike adults, children are still forming their identities, both online and offline. If their data is mishandled, it can have lasting consequences on their well-being, safety, and future opportunities. As privacy laws evolve to keep pace with emerging technologies, the trend is clear: platforms must go beyond compliance and build ecosystems that respect and protect childhood.
From COPPA’s early precedent in the U.S. to the GDPR’s focus on consent and transparency, and now India’s forward-looking DPDPA, there is growing global consensus that children deserve enhanced protections in the digital space. But real change happens not just in legislation, but in how developers, designers, educators, and startups internalize these principles.
