In 2024, federal lawmakers made significant strides to strengthen the protection of children in online spaces by passing the Kids Online Safety Act and the Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act. The former requires online platforms to default to their most protective settings for kids, while the latter updates the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act to safeguard users ages 13 to 16 and bans targeted advertising to minors.
Looking into 2025, privacy and cybersecurity attorneys expect states to continue this path despite the political change of guard.
"Generally, it's not as controversial to pass legislation that protects children, as kids are perceived as being more vulnerable and as having less choice," Finnegan partner and leader of the privacy practice Lynn Parker Dupree told Law360.
