COPPA Compliance Guide
Protecting Young Gamers Online
COPPA Compliance Guide for Online Games & CommunitiesProtecting Young Players While Building Great Experiences
Table of Contents
Legal Disclaimer: This guide provides general information about COPPA compliance. Always consult with qualified legal counsel for specific compliance requirements in your jurisdiction.
What is COPPA and Why It Matters for Gaming
The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) is a U.S. federal law that regulates how online services collect, use, and disclose personal information from children under 13. For gaming platforms, COPPA compliance isn't just about avoiding fines—it's about building trust with parents and creating safer online environments.
Key COPPA Requirements for Games:
- Age verification before data collection
- Parental consent for users under 13
- Limited data collection from children
- Secure data storage and protection
- Parental access to child's data
- Safe deletion of data upon request
Age Verification: The First Line of Defense
Effective age verification is crucial for COPPA compliance. Your game must reliably determine if a user is under 13 before collecting any personal information, including usernames, chat messages, or gameplay data.
Age Verification Methods:
Birth Date Collection
Ask users for their birth date during registration. Simple but relies on honest reporting.
Cons: Easy to circumvent
Credit Card Verification
Require credit card information for age verification (without charging).
Cons: May reduce signup rates
Parental Consent Mechanisms
When a user indicates they're under 13, you must obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting, using, or disclosing their personal information.
Acceptable Consent Methods:
- Email Plus Verification: Send consent request to a parent's email, then verify through phone call or video conference
- Credit Card Verification: Verify parent identity through credit card transaction
- Digital Signature: Use government-issued ID verification services
Data Collection and Protection Best Practices
COPPA requires that you collect only the minimum personal information necessary for your game's operation and implement reasonable security measures to protect that data.
Data You CANNOT Collect Without Consent:
- • Real names or usernames
- • Email addresses or contact information
- • Location data (including IP addresses)
- • Photos, videos, or audio recordings
- • Chat messages or communications
- • Behavioral tracking data
Content Moderation for Child Safety
AI-powered content moderation plays a crucial role in COPPA compliance by automatically filtering inappropriate content and protecting children from harmful interactions without requiring human review of their messages.
How Paxmod Supports COPPA Compliance:
Automated Content Filtering
Our AI filters harmful content in real-time without storing or analyzing children's messages, ensuring privacy while maintaining safety.
Privacy-First Design
Messages are processed for safety but not stored, logged, or used for training, maintaining COPPA compliance while protecting young users.
COPPA Compliance Implementation Checklist
Pre-Launch Requirements:
- Implement age verification system
- Create parental consent workflow
- Draft COPPA-compliant privacy policy
- Set up data minimization practices
- Implement secure data storage
- Create parental access portal
- Set up AI content moderation
- Test all systems thoroughly
- Train staff on COPPA requirements
- Establish incident response procedures
Need Help with COPPA Compliance?
Paxmod's AI moderation API is designed with COPPA compliance in mind, providing automated content filtering without compromising user privacy. Our privacy-first approach ensures your game meets regulatory requirements while delivering great user experiences.