Children's Code

Baroness Beeban Kidron sponsored the amendment to the DPA that mandated the development of the Code. Upon the implementation of the Code in 2021, she explained that "[the Code] shows tech companies are not exempt. This exceptionalism that has defined the last decade, that they are different, just disappears in a puff of smoke when you say, 'actually, this is business.' And business has to be safe, equitable, run along rules that at a minimum protect vulnerable users. == Contents ==

The Children's Code is a code of practice enforceable under the Data Protection Act 2018, and is consistent with GDPR and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It specifies design standards for any information society services (ISS, which includes websites, software and apps, and connected toys) that are likely to be used by a person under the age of 18 and is based in or serves users within the United Kingdom. == Impact ==

Social media services adjusted their services to comply with the Code; on Instagram, all accounts created by under-18s began to be marked as private by default, and adults may not direct message them unless they are followers. TikTok stated that it will not send push notifications to children during the evening and nighttime hours, while YouTube stated that it would treat all videos "made for kids" (a designation introduced in 2020 following a ruling and fine under the U.S. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act) under the assumption they were being viewed by a child, including disabling autoplay, personalization, targeted advertising, and social features. California The code was adapted by the U.S. state of California as AB 2273, The California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, and passed in August 2022. Kidron's charity 5Rights Foundation was credited as a supporter and "co-source" of the bill. In September 2023, the bill was ruled unconstitutional by Federal Judge Beth Labson Freeman as a violation of the First Amendment. ==See also==