The FTC’s COPPA Policy Statement to Incentivize Age Verification Through a More Flexible Enforcement Approach

On February 25, 2026, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) issued an enforcement policy statement announcing that the Commission will not bring enforcement actions under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”) Rule against operators of general audience sites and services and mixed audience sites and services that collect, use, or disclose personal information for the sole purpose of determining a user’s age without first obtaining verifiable parental consent (“VPC”).... By: Alston & Bird