Youth Digital Privacy Protection Act

Presented By Isabella Vega

This Movement Is Currently
In The Planning Stage.

Children and teenagers face unprecedented privacy intrusions and manipulation in digital environments designed to maximize engagement regardless of harm:

• Average teen spends 7+ hours daily on digital platforms with minimal protection
• Existing children’s privacy law (COPPA) only protects children under 13
• Platform design exploits developing brains’ vulnerability to variable rewards
• Engagement-maximizing algorithms promote harmful content to maximize watch time
• Location tracking, biometric data collection, and emotional state monitoring widespread
• Complex privacy policies incomprehensible even to most adults
• Behavioral data used to target youth at vulnerable moments
• Default settings almost universally maximize data collection
• Digital dossiers follow young people into adulthood with lasting consequences
• Addictive design features deliberately employed to maximize usage

Despite growing evidence of harm, regulatory frameworks remain woefully inadequate for protecting young users in rapidly evolving digital environments.

OUR COMPREHENSIVE YOUTH PROTECTION FRAMEWORK

Our proposed legislation would establish:

1. ENHANCED PRIVACY STANDARDS FOR USERS UNDER 18

• Prohibition on behavioral advertising targeting minors
• Opt-in only data collection with clear, age-appropriate explanations
• Data minimization requirements limiting collection to necessary functions
• Strict purpose limitation preventing secondary data uses
• Enhanced transparency requirements in age-appropriate language
• Right to deletion of all historical data
• Privacy-protective default settings required
• Prohibition on dark patterns manipulating consent
• Location tracking limits protecting physical safety
• Biometric data collection restrictions

2. ALGORITHMIC SAFEGUARDS & RECOMMENDATION SYSTEMS

• Requirement to prioritize safety over engagement in algorithmic design
• Prohibition on features exploiting developing brain vulnerability
• Risk assessment requirements before deploying recommendation systems
• Independent auditing of algorithmic impacts on youth
• Transparency requirements explaining recommendation factors
• User and parental controls over algorithmic systems
• Elimination of autoplay and infinite scroll for youth accounts
• Regular assessment of algorithmic impact on well-being
• Mental health monitoring requirements
• Prohibition on amplifying harmful or inappropriate content

3. AGE-APPROPRIATE DESIGN REQUIREMENTS

• Risk assessment framework evaluating features for developmental stages
• Graduated protection based on age categories
• Digital literacy integration appropriate to developmental stage
• Time limit features and usage feedback
• High-privacy default settings for youth accounts
• Age assurance mechanisms balancing protection and privacy
• Sleep protection features during overnight hours
• Easy-to-use reporting mechanisms for concerns
• Clear explanations of platform functionality
• Regular review of design impacts on different age groups

4. DATA SECURITY & TRANSFER LIMITATIONS

• Enhanced security requirements for youth data
• Prohibition on data sales involving users under 18
• Strict limitations on third-party data sharing
• Data retention limitations with automatic deletion
• Security breach notification requirements
• Protection against improper access or use
• Prohibition on using youth data for commercial profiling
• Cross-platform tracking limitations
• Technical security standards appropriate to sensitivity
• Regular security assessment requirements

5. ENFORCEMENT & ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISMS

• Private right of action for privacy violations
• Enhanced penalties for youth privacy breaches
• State attorney general enforcement authority
• Required impact assessments for new features
• Regular compliance auditing by independent entities
• Child safety officer requirements for covered platforms
• Whistleblower protections for reporting violations
• Public transparency reporting on compliance
• Regulatory authority to address emerging risks
• Youth advisory councils informing implementation

IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

The legislation would establish a Division of Youth Online Privacy within the Federal Trade Commission with $100 million in annual funding. Implementation would emphasize:

• Risk-based approach focusing on highest-concern practices
• Age-appropriate protection calibrated to developmental needs
• Technical assistance helping platforms implement requirements
• Coordination with international frameworks preventing fragmentation
• Regular stakeholder engagement including youth voices
• Continuous improvement addressing emerging technologies
• Technical standards development supporting compliance
• Regular assessment of effectiveness and outcomes
• Research program evaluating digital impacts on development
• Educational resources supporting youth digital literacy

Our coalition includes child development experts, privacy advocates, mental health professionals, education organizations, parent groups, and youth representatives committed to creating digital environments that respect the vulnerability and developing capacity of children and teens.

Your support will help create the comprehensive protections needed to ensure digital platforms serve the best interests of young users—establishing privacy standards, algorithmic safeguards, and design requirements that protect rather than exploit the developmental vulnerability of children and teenagers in increasingly pervasive digital environments.