US Senate passes COPPA 2.0 bill expanding children’s online privacy protections

On March 5 2026 the United States Senate unanimously approved the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act, commonly called COPPA 2.0. The legislation would broaden federal privacy safeguards to cover teenagers aged 13 to 16, add restrictions on individually targeted advertising using minors’ data, and create an “eraser button” that lets children or their parents request correction or deletion of personal information.

The Senate bill follows recent FTC rule amendments finalized in 2025 and comes as school districts increasingly rely on a growing array of educational technology tools—an average of 2,982 distinct platforms were used in the 2024‑25 school year, up about 9 % from the prior year. While the Senate has moved forward, the companion House measure (H.R. 6291) has stalled and has not been voted on. Consequently, COPPA 2.0 remains pending legislation, but its provisions signal a significant shift in the federal framework governing children’s online privacy.