Internet safety and privacy for kids. Maybe social media and gaming companies don’t want to figure it out.

We Have Kids on our Platform and Comply with COPPA. Why Can’t Facebook and Zynga Figure it Out?

If that’s not enough, a shocking Washington Post Article report found that 50% of the children’s apps they tested, violated child privacy laws. 

So, what is the problem here folks?  Why are the biggest companies on the web struggling to get this right?  It may be because they don’t want to get it right.

Social Media and Gaming Platforms Can’t Seem to Comply with COPPA

The first problem is that social media and gaming platforms have always struggled to comply with COPPA. COPPA IS The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.  But the law is pretty simple:  You cannot have kids under the age of 13 on your platform without their parents’ consent.  You cannot track their usage without their parents’ consent.  You cannot ask for their PII (Personally Identifiable Information) without their parents’ consent.  

In a feeble attempt to comply, social media and gaming apps ask for a date of birth to confirm that a user is over 13. But we all know that kids under 13 can put in a false birth date so they can set up an account.  Facebook and the rest of the bunch have been criticized, sued and investigated for not doing a better job of policing this. So do these platforms really have our kids’ backs?

The only way to get compliant is to require parents to provide explicit consent for their children to be on the platform.  This is not hard to do, but it certainly slows the growth of a platform, and that’s why the fastest-growing companies will dodge their responsibility.  So, I invite every technology CEO to join me in saying:  “we built our platform with COPPA, kids’ safety and privacy in mind….and we have your kids’ backs!”

Social Media and Gaming Platforms are Open Communities, NOT Private Communities

The second problem is that social media and gaming companies, by their very nature, want their customers to connect with as many people as possible, to build their social network so-to-speak.  However, that is dangerous for kids, especially those under 13.  We don’t want our kids connecting, messaging, sharing with strangers and “new friends”.  Yet it happens all too often.

Don’t get me wrong, I love when young athletes connect deeply with lots of teammates, coaches, managers and trainers on our youth sports platform.  But there is absolutely no way that we would let outsiders join in that conversation.  We built our platform to be a virtual “Fort Knox” for kids and the only way for a child to join is if a) they are on their team roster and b) if their parent provides explicit consent for them to set up an account.  And without a doubt, no parent, player or coach on the team can invite outsiders.  The social media and gaming companies can never meet this standard.

The SafeSport Act Raises the Bar for Child Protection

The irony in this story is that the top social media and gaming companies can’t even meet the requirements of COPPA, yet in the youth sports industry, we have to comply with COPPA plus an additional stringent level of child protection.   The SafeSport Act of 2017 was passed by Congress to prevent abuse, hazing, bullying and harassment and to monitor interactions between adults and amateur athletes.   

Can you imagine if the social media and gaming platforms had to meet anti-abuse or anti-bullying requirements? Or had to ensure that parents could see all of their kids’ activity?  They would fail miserably.  But we operate at a higher level of compliance because it aligns with our mission. We value the players on our platform and the relationships they have with teammates and coaches. It is worth our time and resources to ensure that they are all kept safe.

The Bottom Line:  Why Do Social Media and Gaming Companies Really Want Kids On Their Platform?

We really should be asking ourselves: Why do companies want our kids on their platform?  Is it for the benefit of our kids….or the benefit of the company?  And we know for social media and gaming platforms. The answer is not as wholesome and genuine as we’d like it to be.  As the Founder and CEO of a youth sports platform, I ask myself that question every day:  

And so here is why we bring kids on to our platform:

• Empower kids to communicate directly with coaches and teammates without relying on parents to be the messenger. Ancient Chinese proverb explains how an overzealous parent can get in the way of their child’s development.

• Get kids invested in their team goals and acquire a growth mindset.

• Nurture self-aware kids who can self-assess and digest ongoing feedback.

• Help kids build leadership skills and have kids (not their parents) build a team culture.

The bottom line is, I’m a fan of Facebook, YouTube, Disney, Zynga.  And if they need help figuring  out how to provide value to parents and kids in a safe, secure and compliant way, I’m happy to offer some free guidance:  ian@isport360.com.

Ian Goldberg Bio:

Ian Goldberg is a #girldad, volunteer coach and the Founder of iSport360. A youth sports platform that keeps thousands of young athletes connected to their teammates, their coaches and their training.  Ian is a progressive thought-leader in the youth sports industry. He is an advocate for coaches and young athletes and an Advisory Board Member for the National Alliance for Youth Sports.  Ian started his career at the White House in the mid 1990s working for the Economic Advisors to two Presidents. And then spent most of his career running innovative companies in the digital economy.  Click here to learn more.

About iSport360:

iSport360 is an early stage youth sports technology company that is keeping teams connected, active and strong.  Over 140,000 coaches, players and parents depend on the platform to set goals and share training videos, practice assignments, sticker rewards and a virtual locker room for teammates.  The company was recently featured in a Washington Post article titled:  Teams Take Practices and Locker Rooms Online During Pandemic.  Additionally iSport360 has been endorsed by some of the biggest names in sports and has the support of notable pro sports and Silicon Valley tech investors.   Click here to learn more.

Contact:

Amy Masters

Head of Marketing

iSport360

amy@isport360.com

908.229.8445