The U.K. ICO will begin monitoring 10 popular mobile games played by children, it said Monday. The review will assess the games' compliance with default privacy settings, their geolocation controls and their targeted advertising practices, as well as any other privacy issues identified.
Social Media
Social media platforms are facing intense scrutiny over how they collect, share and monetize user data. As new state and federal laws focus on age verification, parental controls and transparency requirements, social media companies face legal risks around algorithmic targeting, third-party tracking and children's safety. This page follows key legislation, investigations and lawsuits shaping privacy practices for major social platforms.
The recent ruling from the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejecting the use of the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) to compel arbitration on businesses that fail to pay fees undercuts a strategy that the plaintiff’s bar “often” uses in privacy claims, said a Squire Patton blog post Monday.
Industry and consumer advocates have weighed in on nearly 20 kids privacy and safety bills set for a subcommittee hearing Tuesday in the House Commerce Committee (see 2511250080). In written testimony posted over the weekend, some witnesses additionally warned the lawmakers against inadvertently weakening privacy protections in an effort to promote online safety.
Parents shouldn't post photos and videos of children on social media ("sharenting"), French DPA CNIL and Italian watchdog Garante said this week.
The EU must protect kids online better than it does now, the European Parliament said in an own-initiative resolution approved Wednesday. Among other things, lawmakers said, the EU should prevent children from accessing social media before the age of 16 (13 if they have parental consent), and require better age-assurance mechanisms.
Though a deal was reached allowing TikTok to continue operating in the U.S., the social media platform still faces consumer protection suits from states accusing it of harming children, said Fox Rothschild lawyer Bradley Risinger in a blog post this week.
Election year 2026 could drive more headline-grabbing state privacy enforcement, said Womble Bond privacy attorney Tyler Bridegan in an interview with Privacy Daily. In general, state privacy enforcement seems to be at the "very beginning of the bell curve,” said Bridegan, who was recently director of privacy and tech enforcement for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R). Also, Bridegan praised Ryan Baasch, another alumnus of the Texas AG's office, who's expected to be nominated as an FTC commissioner by President Donald Trump.
Children's privacy rights are a key focus of the Global Privacy Assembly (GPA), newly elected Chair Philippe Dufresne said Wednesday during a streamed Future of Privacy Forum discussion. Much of the assembly's work has centered on the best interests of children, including topics such as the challenges of social media, targeted ads and exposure to privacy breaches, he said.
The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday allowed a Florida law banning kids from social media to go into effect, ruling the state's attorney general's challenge will likely succeed on the merits. Judge Robin Rosenbaum registered a dissent in the 2-1 decision.
A federal judge preliminarily approved a proposed settlement in a Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA) case against Limited Run Games, a video game distributor.