New FTC Proposed Rulemaking Could Impact Children’s Privacy Regulations

August 23, 2022 | The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) on “Commercial Surveillance and Data Security,” indicating first steps toward national privacy and data security rules that include a focus on children's privacy.

The Commission is inviting public comment on commercial surveillance practices or lax data security measures that affect children, including teenagers. The ANPR is specifically seeking information on children’s data collection, parental consent, sharing and sale of data, advertising, distinguishing between age groups, auto-pay and positive engagement features, content blocking, erasure mechanisms, and more.

The Toy Association will submit comments, with input from its Children’s Online Safety Committee, by the October deadline. Members that would like to have their input folded into the comments are encouraged to reach out to Jennifer Gibbons, senior vice president of government affairs at The Toy Association.

The FTC will host a virtual public forum on this topic on Thursday, September 8, 2022, from 2 to 7:30 p.m. Companies seeking more details can reference the FTC's Commercial Surveillance and Data Security Public Forum page for more information.