Senate Unanimously Passes COPPA 2.0: What Changes for Your Kids Online

TL;DR:

The Senate unanimously passed COPPA 2.0 on March 6, 2026: the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act
The bill extends privacy protections from under-13 to under-17: the first expansion since the original 1998 law
Bans targeted advertising directed at children and teenagers: no more tracking kids to sell them products
Creates an "eraser button" requiring companies to delete all data collected on minors upon request
The House is the problem: previous versions passed the Senate but died because Speaker Johnson never brought them to a floor vote

What the Senate Just Passed

The original Children's Online Privacy Protection Act became law in 1998. It protected kids under 13 from data collection without parental consent. That was it. Teenagers got nothing.

Twenty-eight years later, the Senate finally updated it. COPPA 2.0 passed unanimously on March 6, 2026. Here's what it does:

Age Expansion

The bill extends protections to everyone under 17. That means companies can't collect personal information from 13, 14, 15, and 16-year-olds without consent. Under the old law, those kids had no federal privacy protections at all.

Targeted Advertising Ban

Companies cannot direct personalized ads at children or teenagers. No more tracking a 14-year-old's browsing history to sell them energy drinks. No more using a 16-year-old's Instagram activity to target vape ads.

Eraser Button

Parents and teens can demand that companies delete all personal information collected during childhood. The platform must comply. This is retroactive: data collected before the law takes effect is still covered.

Data Minimization

Companies can only collect what they need to provide their service. No more hoarding behavioral data for years. No more building permanent profiles on kids.

Knowledge Standard Fix

The old law had a loophole: platforms only had to comply if they had "actual knowledge" that a user was under 13. Many platforms claimed they didn't know kids were on their service, even when kids were obviously there. COPPA 2.0 closes that gap.

New FTC Division

The bill creates a dedicated division within the Federal Trade Commission to oversee youth marketing and privacy issues. More resources, more enforcement.

Who Got This Done

Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts wrote the original COPPA in 1998. He's been trying to update it for years. "We're giving parents peace of mind by protecting their kids' personal information," said Senator Bill Cassidy, the Louisiana Republican who co-sponsored the bill.

Markey: "This legislation would update online data privacy rules for the 21st century and ensure children and teenagers are protected online."

The unanimous vote wasn't a surprise: the previous version passed the Senate 91-3 last year. Getting it through the House is the problem.

The House Is Where COPPA Bills Go to Die

Here's the uncomfortable truth: the Senate has passed versions of COPPA 2.0 multiple times. The House has blocked it every time.

In 2024, COPPA 2.0 and the Kids Online Safety Act passed the Senate 91-3. They advanced through the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Then Speaker Mike Johnson refused to bring them to a floor vote. The bills expired when the congressional session ended.

The pattern is repeating. The House markup was still going on when the Senate voted this week. And the House version has problems:

State preemption fights: The House version would override existing state privacy laws. Democrats object because states like California have stronger protections than federal law.
First Amendment concerns: Some House Republicans worry about potential censorship implications, particularly with KOSA (the Kids Online Safety Act, which often moves alongside COPPA).
Senate-House misalignment: The House bills don't match what the Senate passed. Even if the House acts, they'll need conference committee negotiations.

Tech lobbyists have been working both chambers. NetChoice, representing Google, Meta, TikTok, and Discord, previously opposed COPPA 2.0. Google has since changed positions to support it. The lobbying continues.

What This Means for Parents

Right now? Nothing yet. The bill has to pass the House and be signed by the president.

If it becomes law, companies will have to:

Stop targeting ads at your kids
Get consent before collecting data from teenagers
Delete your child's data when you ask
Actually acknowledge that kids use their platforms (no more "we didn't know")

The FTC would have real enforcement power. Violations mean fines. The dedicated youth privacy division would have staff and budget to investigate.

Don't Confuse This With the FTC's New Rules

In January 2025, the FTC voted 5-0 to update its COPPA regulations (adding biometric data protections and banning indefinite data retention). Those rules take effect April 22, 2026.

That's different from COPPA 2.0. The FTC rules are administrative: they interpret the existing 1998 law. COPPA 2.0 is legislation: it would expand the law itself to cover teenagers.

Both are important. The FTC rules are happening regardless of what Congress does. COPPA 2.0 requires Congress to actually pass it.

What Happens Next

The House Energy and Commerce Committee is working on its own children's privacy package. The bills don't align with the Senate version. Democrats have balked at the House approach over state preemption concerns.

If the House passes different bills, both chambers will need to reconcile them in conference committee. Then both chambers vote again on the compromise. Then it goes to the president.

The 2024 version made it through the Senate with 91 votes and still died. History suggests the Senate unanimous vote is just the beginning.

Sources

Published: March 7, 2026