The US is overhauling privacy laws to protect kids from social media spying

FTC is strengthening the childhood privacy act to stop social networks and gaming platforms targeting under 13s with ads and mobile alerts

The big-swinging chair of the US Federal Trade Commission Lina Khan has begun one of the most significant legal moves ever to halt Big Tech’s surveillance of children.

After months of whistleblowers, leaked documents, damning exposes, writs, and indictments against social media, she is now seeking to overhaul privacy laws.

It will shift responsibility for child protection from parents to platforms and bans Instagram and others from using their dark arts to addict youngsters for profit.

Major changes include:

• Forcing Meta, TikTok and others to turn off targeted ads for kids under 13, and

• Banning them from bombarding youngsters’ phones with push notifications.

The New York Times described it as “one of the most significant attempts by the US Government to strengthen consumer privacy in more than a decade”.

The goal is to strengthen America’s Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, known as COPPA.

Video game companies, toy retailers and digital ad networks would also be subject to the new …