Your Child's AI Tutor Is Building a Profile That Outlasts Their Childhood

The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act was written in 1998, when the internet meant AOL chatrooms and GeoCities pages. The law requires parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13. It covers name, address, email, phone number, and photos. It was not written for: AI tutoring systems that track every keystroke, response time, and error pattern Biometric systems in schools that scan faces, fingerprints, and irises Behavioral analytics platforms that build psychological profiles from how children read Voice assistants in classrooms that record everything said in a room AI proctoring systems that measure gaze direction, facial expressions, and posture during tests All of these exist in US schools today. Most operate in a legal gray zone that COPPA doesn't clearly address. What Schools Are Actually Collecting EdTech Biometrics FaceFirst and similar facial recognition : Multiple US school districts deployed facial recognition systems ostensibly for sec