Week Six Legal: A Closer Look at COPPA and CIPA

Social media is a really fascinating topic because it is still new and changing rapidly. When new things are introduced into our society laws need to change and update. Laws are starting to catch up to social media.

If you want a good initial read I would suggest this resource. It is an interesting read because it lays out some basics for this conversation. It also cites specific legal precedents that connect with social media. Such as "Stored Communications Act (“SCA") prevents entities from accessing and storing certain private information"  

This article talks specifically about using images legally and how to make sure they are cited properly.



(Image Credit: DrAfter123)

After looking at some of the general issues of legality and social media I wanted to explore specific protections for youth and libraries.

The two guidelines that I started with was The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA). Both of these acts are meant to protect children. More specifically, they set rules and protections to protect kids under 13.

Looking through these I have a few thoughts. Firstly I think these are coming from a good place. The internet is a vast place and many things are not only inappropriate for children but can be harmful. COPPA and CIPA feel like they are trying to address some of these concerns. However, I am not sure they are realistically approaching the issues. 

If you are interested here are introductions to COPPA and CIPA. I think protections are needed but I think we need protections that are updated each year and are more thorough. Neither COPPA or CIPA have been updated in the last 10 years. For reference, this Blog goes through a timeline of the internet and there have been major changes since these rules were updated. 


(Image Credit: Race Communications)

If we are serious about protecting children we need to do a few things,
  • Educate children about internet safety
  • Prioritize internet safety skills in schools
  • Update these guidelines yearly
  • Incentives websites and companies to follow guidelines
  • Hold websites and companies accountable when they are not following guidelines
There is also the issue of 13-year-olds being the target age for these guidelines. For one it teaches children pretty early how to calculate a fake age. One suggestion, if a phone or device is bought for a minor it should have built-in features that will block websites or will require parent permission to access. It won't stop everything but It might help more parents take a proactive look at what kids look at. I also think 13 is a good base age, but it is also a conversation for parents to have with their children.

As I looked at all this information and reflected on it I got curious about how libraries approach the internet and children. This is when I looked at the American Library Association's website. I found a very detailed section on Libraries, Children & the Internet Questions & Answers. It has good answers and information. However, it may not have been updated since 2009. 


(Image Credit: American Library Association)


I think my main takeaway from looking at all this information and reflecting on how to keep kids safe is 1) teachers, librarians, and guardians should all be taking a proactive approach to keep kids safe and teaching internet safety 2) The internet is a shifting changing landscape and anything that deals seriously with it needs to stay as current as possible.


(Image Credit: Acronis)


 


Comments

  1. Thanks for including the ALA website. This isn't one I've looked at before. Your list of "to-do's" makes sense and is reasonable. "Yearly" updates, however, would be far too difficult (especially given our most current Congress). Instead, I can see a 2-3 year refresh with some indication (e.g., public information) of what is being discussed and considered along with an area for citizen input.

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    1. That is a valid point. I still think reviewing it every year would be best. But at least every 3 years would be an improvement. It also seems difficult because many of the people in government positions do not seem to fully understand technology or social media (arguably this is seen with the TikTok vote). Maybe there needs to be a more defined entity to deal with how we handle technology?

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  2. Hi Kira: Thank you for your post!
    I also thought of the application of children internet laws to librarianship. We know that no matter what laws are in place, unless parents and guardians get involved, success is never achieved. I agree with you too that children internet protection laws had to catch up with the reality that the internet can be a difficult place to naviguate for children. We can never do enough to ensure that childrens are protected from potential predators.
    Here is a good article about children's safety on the internet: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/news/keeping-children-safe-online

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    1. Thank you for sharing that link! It feels very tricky as a librarian because you do want to make sure children are safe, but access to information is a key part of library values. So where is the line?

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  3. Your understanding of CIPA and COPPA demonstrates a strong commitment to ensuring student privacy and safety online. It's clear that you recognize the importance of these laws in protecting children from harmful content and safeguarding their personal information. While privacy laws and staff monitoring are somewhat effective measures within the school, you rightly point out the challenges of monitoring students' online activities outside of school. I agree that cyberbullying and other issues can impact classroom dynamics, presenting difficulties for school staff to manage. Parent involvement is critical in monitoring cyberworld outside of school hours.

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    1. CIPA and COPPA were a new thing for me. It was interesting looking at them and how they apply to libraries.

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  4. I agree with your statement. Teachers, librarians, and guardians should all take a proactive approach to keeping kids safe online. We should not rely solely on filers and blocking software as certain keywords can bypass the software. I remember students bypassing the blocking software placed on Roblox and being able to access it through another free gaming site. We should always remain vigilant to ensure children are safe online.

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    1. Proactive, yes! I don't think blocks or censors are nearly as reliable as just being honest with kids about ways to protect themselves.

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