---
kind: "section"
citation: "15 U.S.C. § 6502"
title: "15"
title_heading: "Commerce and Trade"
number: "6502"
heading: "Regulation of unfair and deceptive acts and practices in connection with collection and use of personal information from and about children on the Internet"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/15/6502"
units:
  - "Chapter 91 — Children’s Online Privacy Protection"
---

# §6502. Regulation of unfair and deceptive acts and practices in connection with collection and use of personal information from and about children on the Internet

- (a) **Acts prohibited—**
  - (1) **In general—** It is unlawful for an [operator](/usc/15/6501.md?p=2) of a [website or online service directed to children](/usc/15/6501.md?p=10-A), or any [operator](/usc/15/6501.md?p=2) that has actual knowledge that it is collecting [personal information](/usc/15/6501.md?p=8) from a [child](/usc/15/6501.md?p=1), to collect [personal information](/usc/15/6501.md?p=8) from a [child](/usc/15/6501.md?p=1) in a manner that violates the regulations prescribed under [subsection (b)](#b).
  - (2) **Disclosure to parent protected—** Notwithstanding [paragraph (1)](#a-1), neither an [operator](/usc/15/6501.md?p=2) of such a website or online service nor the [operator](/usc/15/6501.md?p=2)’s agent shall be held to be liable under any Federal or [State](/usc/15/15g.md?p=2) law for any [disclosure](/usc/15/6501.md?p=4) made in good faith and following reasonable procedures in responding to a request for [disclosure](/usc/15/6501.md?p=4) of [personal information](/usc/15/6501.md?p=8) under [subsection (b)(1)(B)(iii)](#b-1-B-iii) to the [parent](/usc/15/6501.md?p=7) of a [child](/usc/15/6501.md?p=1).
- (b) **Regulations—**
  - (1) **In general—** Not later than 1 year after October 21, 1998, the [Commission](/usc/15/6501.md?p=3) shall promulgate under [section 553 of title 5](/usc/5/553.md) regulations that—
    - (A) require the [operator](/usc/15/6501.md?p=2) of any [website or online service directed to children](/usc/15/6501.md?p=10-A) that collects [personal information](/usc/15/6501.md?p=8) from children or the [operator](/usc/15/6501.md?p=2) of a website or online service that has actual knowledge that it is collecting [personal information](/usc/15/6501.md?p=8) from a [child](/usc/15/6501.md?p=1)—
      - (i) to provide notice on the website of what information is collected from children by the [operator](/usc/15/6501.md?p=2), how the [operator](/usc/15/6501.md?p=2) uses such information, and the [operator](/usc/15/6501.md?p=2)’s [disclosure](/usc/15/6501.md?p=4) practices for such information; and
      - (ii) to obtain [verifiable parental consent](/usc/15/6501.md?p=9) for the collection, use, or [disclosure](/usc/15/6501.md?p=4) of [personal information](/usc/15/6501.md?p=8) from children;
    - (B) require the [operator](/usc/15/6501.md?p=2) to provide, upon request of a [parent](/usc/15/6501.md?p=7) under this subparagraph whose [child](/usc/15/6501.md?p=1) has provided [personal information](/usc/15/6501.md?p=8) to that website or online service, upon proper identification of that [parent](/usc/15/6501.md?p=7), to such [parent](/usc/15/6501.md?p=7)—
      - (i) a description of the specific types of [personal information](/usc/15/6501.md?p=8) collected from the [child](/usc/15/6501.md?p=1) by that [operator](/usc/15/6501.md?p=2);
      - (ii) the opportunity at any time to refuse to permit the [operator](/usc/15/6501.md?p=2)’s further use or maintenance in retrievable form, or future online collection, of [personal information](/usc/15/6501.md?p=8) from that [child](/usc/15/6501.md?p=1); and
      - (iii) notwithstanding any other provision of law, a means that is reasonable under the circumstances for the [parent](/usc/15/6501.md?p=7) to obtain any [personal information](/usc/15/6501.md?p=8) collected from that [child](/usc/15/6501.md?p=1);
    - (C) prohibit conditioning a [child](/usc/15/6501.md?p=1)’s participation in a game, the offering of a prize, or another activity on the [child](/usc/15/6501.md?p=1) disclosing more [personal information](/usc/15/6501.md?p=8) than is reasonably necessary to participate in such activity; and
    - (D) require the [operator](/usc/15/6501.md?p=2) of such a website or online service to establish and maintain reasonable procedures to protect the confidentiality, security, and integrity of [personal information](/usc/15/6501.md?p=8) collected from children.
  - (2) **When consent not required—** The regulations shall provide that [verifiable parental consent](/usc/15/6501.md?p=9) under [paragraph (1)(A)(ii)](#b-1-A-ii) is not required in the case of—
    - (A) [online contact information](/usc/15/6501.md?p=12) collected from a [child](/usc/15/6501.md?p=1) that is used only to respond directly on a one-time basis to a specific request from the [child](/usc/15/6501.md?p=1) and is not used to recontact the [child](/usc/15/6501.md?p=1) and is not maintained in retrievable form by the [operator](/usc/15/6501.md?p=2);
    - (B) a request for the name or [online contact information](/usc/15/6501.md?p=12) of a [parent](/usc/15/6501.md?p=7) or [child](/usc/15/6501.md?p=1) that is used for the sole purpose of obtaining parental consent or providing notice under this section and where such information is not maintained in retrievable form by the [operator](/usc/15/6501.md?p=2) if parental consent is not obtained after a reasonable time;
    - (C) [online contact information](/usc/15/6501.md?p=12) collected from a [child](/usc/15/6501.md?p=1) that is used only to respond more than once directly to a specific request from the [child](/usc/15/6501.md?p=1) and is not used to recontact the [child](/usc/15/6501.md?p=1) beyond the scope of that request—
      - (i) if, before any additional response after the initial response to the [child](/usc/15/6501.md?p=1), the [operator](/usc/15/6501.md?p=2) uses reasonable efforts to provide a [parent](/usc/15/6501.md?p=7) notice of the [online contact information](/usc/15/6501.md?p=12) collected from the [child](/usc/15/6501.md?p=1), the purposes for which it is to be used, and an opportunity for the [parent](/usc/15/6501.md?p=7) to request that the [operator](/usc/15/6501.md?p=2) make no further use of the information and that it not be maintained in retrievable form; or
      - (ii) without notice to the [parent](/usc/15/6501.md?p=7) in such circumstances as the [Commission](/usc/15/6501.md?p=3) may determine are appropriate, taking into consideration the benefits to the [child](/usc/15/6501.md?p=1) of access to information and services, and risks to the security and privacy of the [child](/usc/15/6501.md?p=1), in regulations promulgated under this subsection;
    - (D) the name of the [child](/usc/15/6501.md?p=1) and [online contact information](/usc/15/6501.md?p=12) (to the extent reasonably necessary to protect the safety of a [child](/usc/15/6501.md?p=1) participant on the site)—
      - (i) used only for the purpose of protecting such safety;
      - (ii) not used to recontact the [child](/usc/15/6501.md?p=1) or for any other purpose; and
      - (iii) not disclosed on the site,

      if the [operator](/usc/15/6501.md?p=2) uses reasonable efforts to provide a [parent](/usc/15/6501.md?p=7) notice of the name and [online contact information](/usc/15/6501.md?p=12) collected from the [child](/usc/15/6501.md?p=1), the purposes for which it is to be used, and an opportunity for the [parent](/usc/15/6501.md?p=7) to request that the [operator](/usc/15/6501.md?p=2) make no further use of the information and that it not be maintained in retrievable form; or

    - (E) the collection, use, or dissemination of such information by the [operator](/usc/15/6501.md?p=2) of such a website or online service necessary—
      - (i) to protect the security or integrity of its website;
      - (ii) to take precautions against liability;
      - (iii) to respond to judicial process; or
      - (iv) to the extent permitted under other provisions of law, to provide information to law enforcement agencies or for an investigation on a matter related to public safety.
  - (3) **Termination of service—** The regulations shall permit the [operator](/usc/15/6501.md?p=2) of a website or an online service to terminate service provided to a [child](/usc/15/6501.md?p=1) whose [parent](/usc/15/6501.md?p=7) has refused, under the regulations prescribed under [paragraph (1)(B)(ii)](#b-1-B-ii), to permit the [operator](/usc/15/6501.md?p=2)’s further use or maintenance in retrievable form, or future online collection, of [personal information](/usc/15/6501.md?p=8) from that [child](/usc/15/6501.md?p=1).
- (c) **Enforcement—** Subject to sections [6503](/usc/15/6503.md) and [6505](/usc/15/6505.md) of this title, a violation of a regulation prescribed under [subsection (a)](#a) shall be treated as a violation of a rule defining an unfair or deceptive act or practice prescribed under [section 57a(a)(1)(B) of this title](/usc/15/57a.md?p=a-1-B).
- (d) **Inconsistent State law—** No [State](/usc/15/15g.md?p=2) or [local government](/usc/15/34.md?p=1) may impose any liability for commercial activities or actions by [operators](/usc/15/6501.md?p=2) in interstate or foreign commerce in connection with an activity or action described in this chapter that is inconsistent with the treatment of those activities or actions under this section.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 105–277, div. C, title XIII, § 1303, Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681–730.)

## Notes

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date

For effective date of subsec. (a) of this section, see section 1308 of Pub. L. 105–277, set out as a note under section 6501 of this title.