The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) is a law created to protect the privacy of children under 13.The Act was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1998 and took effect in April 2000. COPPA is managed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). You may read the full text of the COPPA Act at FTC.gov. 2  The FTC provides a 2002 report concerning the effectiveness of the COPPA regulations (PDF). 3  The Electronic Privacy Information Center has an excellent resource center for those interested in learning more about COPPA.