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COPPA · COPPA-312-5-VPC-METHODS

COPPA 16 CFR 312.5(b)(1)-(3) - Assess and implement verifiable parental consent methods

Assess the actual parental-verification conditions, notice, disclosure limits and prompt ID/image deletion before selecting a consent method

CRITICALProcess dutyConsentBinding regulationIn forceApplies from 22 April 2026

Where this comes from

Provision: 16 CFR 312.5(b)(1)-(3) - Assess and implement verifiable parental consent methods

Instrument: Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)

Citation: 16 CFR 312.5(b)(1)-(3), 312.2 and 312.12(a); 90 FR 16918 (22 April 2025), effective 23 June 2025, general compliance date 22 April 2026

Text version: 16 CFR Part 312, 2025 amended Rule (90 FR 16918); eCFR as of 3 September 2026; retrieved 6 September 2026

Checked against the source: 6 September 2026

Read the official text ↗

Who it applies to

It applies when all of these are true:

  • COPPA assessed activity Q_COPPA_COVERED_ACTIVITY: YES
  • COPPA assessed activity Q_COPPA_PARENTAL_CONSENT_FLOW: YES

What engineering work it implies

Sample acceptance criteria Landfall generates for this obligation:

  • Document the parental-consent flow, applicable notice and material-change assessment before choosing a method; no selected method authorizes every data use.
  • Implement all conditions of the chosen named method, including notified transactions, trained phone/video personnel, household-child difficulty and low guessing probability for knowledge-based authentication.
  • For photo comparison, authenticate the ID, perform facial comparison and obtain trained-person confirmation; promptly delete required identification and images after verification.
  • Permit email/text plus only after assessing no disclosure under 312.2, implementing additional parental assurance and providing revocation notice; test public-availability and internal-operations boundaries.
  • Preserve minimized attributable consent and prompt-deletion evidence; do not require intrusive identity collection solely because a child's data includes a voice recording or biometric identifier.

Evidence an auditor expects

  • Assessment documentDocument review

    Parental-verification method assessment and implemented conditions

    Reviewed and attributable source/version/activity assessment: Document the parental-consent flow, applicable notice and material-change assessment before choosing a method; no selected method authorizes every data use. Implement all conditions of the chosen named method, including notified transactions, trained phone/video personnel, household-child difficulty and low guessing probability for knowledge-based authentication. For photo comparison, authenticate the ID, perform facial comparison and obtain trained-person confirmation; promptly delete required identification and images after verification. Permit email/text plus only after assessing no disclosure under 312.2, implementing additional parental assurance and providing revocation notice; test public-availability and internal-operations boundaries. Preserve minimized attributable consent and prompt-deletion evidence; do not require intrusive identity collection solely because a child's data includes a voice recording or biometric identifier. A questionnaire answer or generated task is not consent or a verified exception.

Questions people ask

Does COPPA 16 CFR 312.5(b)(1)-(3) - Assess and implement verifiable parental conse… apply to my service?
It applies when COPPA assessed activity Q_COPPA_COVERED_ACTIVITY: YES; COPPA assessed activity Q_COPPA_PARENTAL_CONSENT_FLOW: YES.
From when does this apply?
COPPA 16 CFR 312.5(b)(1)-(3) - Assess and implement verifiable parental conse… applies from 22 April 2026. Its current status is: in force.
What evidence does an auditor expect?
Parental-verification method assessment and implemented conditions.

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