On 2019-05-18, Richard Hector <[email protected]> wrote: > > I'm not going to read them again, but IIRC one of them referred to the > GitHub ToC, which contained a bit about restricting accounts to those > over 13 years of age, and claiming this was due to US law (but not > specifying which law).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children%27s_Online_Privacy_Protection_Act https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/complying-coppa-frequently-asked-questions The primary goal of COPPA is to place parents in control over what information is collected from their young children online. The Rule was designed to protect children under age 13 while accounting for the dynamic nature of the Internet. The Rule applies to operators of commercial websites and online services (including mobile apps) directed to children under 13 that collect, use, or disclose personal information from children, and operators of general audience websites or online services with actual knowledge that they are collecting, using, or disclosing personal information from children under 13. The Rule also applies to websites or online services that have actual knowledge that they are collecting personal information directly from users of another website or online service directed to children. https://www.childnet.com/blog/age-restrictions-on-social-media-services Nearly all other social media services require users to be at least 13 years of age to access and use their services. This includes Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, Musical.ly and Skype. Whilst there is no age restriction for watching videos on YouTube, users need to be 13 or older to have their own YouTube account (enabling them to subscribe to other channels, like videos, post comments, share their own content and flag inappropriate content). Why do these restrictions exist? The reason most social media services use an age limit of 13 or over is in part because of a law in the USA. The COPPA law or Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act states that any organisations or people operating online services (including social media services) are not allowed to collect the personal information of anyone under the age of 13 without parental permission. > Richard >
