I'm a big proponent of education, so I'll dig out a few resources for you to take a look at:

Microsoft's "Teach Kids Online Security"

and also

Age-appropriate tips for Online Safety

Both provide some great starting points for developing a family AUP (Acceptable Use Policy) or "contract" that your child(ren) will have to abide by in internet use in order to retain the privileges they want.



The Pew Research Center has a few useful things, as well (and some of those discuss federal law):

Facebook Users who are underage raise concerns

"Protecting Teens Online" report



Finally, the laws themselves and what they mean for providers of internet services:

COPPA, (which would apply more broa...site intended for users younger than 13)


And just in case you were thinking that the FTC isn't serious about enforcement:

Wikipedia entry for COPPA.
(Check out the list of companies that have been charged with violations! Wow.)

The important thing to note about COPPA is that most third-party hosting sites must ALSO obey it, which means that 'free' webhosting services will almost certainly not allow content intended for users under 13. (The site that I help to run has this problem, actually-- because we are hosted for free, we have to abide by our web-host's ToS.) Collecting IP addressing information or cookies either one may be considered "personally identifying" information.



That should definitely get you started!

Schrödinger's cat walks into a bar. And doesn't.