Children's Online Privacy Protection Act

With the internet becoming used more in classrooms, it is important to educate students and parents about not just the good, but also the bad things that are out there. One of the bad things that was happening with children under the age of thirteen was they were giving out their personal information online. When children do this, it can lead to dangerous situations. Therefore, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) was passed in October 1998 to help protect children from giving out personal information to unknown sources online.
If I were to have my students make a website, create a wiki, or some other kind of online teaching tool, I would review with them the importance of not posting personal information. I would create a list for the students that would cover what personal information they are not allowed to post. The COPPA gives these guidelines that students are not to post online; a first and last name, a home or other physical address including street name and name of a city or town, an e-mail address, a telephone number, or a social security number to name a few. As a teacher, I would make sure my students understood all of the guidelines. We would go over what is appropriate and what is not.
I feel parents are also a key player in making sure their children do not post any personal information online. Teachers can only do so much from school. Home is where most of the students would be getting into chat rooms. I would raise awareness to parents about this topic. I would also give the parents a check list of what should not be posted online. This way they will be educated, as well as their children.