How 13 Became the Internet’s Age of Adulthood

And yet parents and educators unleash them on the internet at that age—if not before—because they’re told children in the U.S. must be at least 13 to download certain apps, create email accounts and sign up for social media. Tech companies are just abiding by a 1998 law called the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which was intended to protect the privacy of children ages 12 or under. To go on a field trip, a 13-year-old still needs a parent’s signature, but once kids turn 13, they’re eligible to create Facebook, Instagram and other social media accounts without any parental oversight.

Source: www.wsj.com