By Brian Socolow – partner in Loeb & Loeb LLP’s sports practice,
written exclusively for group Y.

The growth of action sports has largely been fueled by fans under 18, and on-line marketing companies targeting that audience have followed. Whether it’s Quiksilver, Monster Energy Drinks or ESPN X Games, the look and feel of the typical action sports-related website is young, edgy, authentic. Action sports marketers need to be aware, however, of the panoply of laws that regulate marketing to kids, including the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). COPPA prohibits the online collection of personal information from kids under 13 without verifiable parental consent. It’s enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the advertising industry’s self-regulatory forum, the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU).

COPPA applies to commercial websites or online services that are targeted to children under 13 and to general audience websites that knowingly collect information from children under 13. To determine whether a website is targeted to children, the FTC considers several factors including the subject matter, visual or audio content, the age of models on the site, language, and whether advertising on the website is directed to children.

COPPA requires these websites to:

· Post a privacy policy outlining their information collection practices;

· Provide notice to parents of their information collection practices;

· Get prior verified parental consent if the website collects personal information from children under 13;

· Provide access to the information collected and the opportunity to delete such information; and

· Maintain reasonable procedures to protect the confidentiality, security, and integrity of such information.

Read the full article at group Y website http://groupYnetwork.com