COPPA and Children's Privacy.
The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) sets requirements for online services that collect personal information from children under 13.
What is COPPA?
The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), 15 U.S.C. §§ 6501–6506, is a US federal law enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). It applies to operators of websites and online services directed to children under 13 in the United States, and to any operator who knowingly collects personal information from a child under 13.
COPPA requires covered operators to provide notice to parents, obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13, and maintain certain data practices. Operators who violate COPPA face civil penalties of up to $51,744 per violation.
Circus is not directed at under-13s
Circus is a platform for fans, creators, sports teams, and universities. Our global minimum age is 16 years old. We do not produce content directed at children, we do not market to children, and our service is not designed for use by anyone under 16.
Because Circus is neither directed at children under 13 nor do we knowingly collect their personal information, Circus is not a covered operator under COPPA with respect to its general user base. We apply a single, higher minimum age globally — not different thresholds by jurisdiction — so our minimum age exceeds both the COPPA threshold (13) and the GDPR-K threshold (13–16, depending on member state).
How we prevent access by under-16s
We implement the following measures to prevent access by users under the minimum age of 16.
Age confirmation at registration
All users must confirm they are 16 or over when creating an account. Registration cannot be completed without this confirmation. We display our minimum age clearly throughout the sign-up flow.
Automated age signals
We use automated checks to identify signals that a user may be under the minimum age, including content of posts, profile information, and behavioral patterns. Accounts flagged by these checks are suspended pending review.
User reports
Users can report accounts they believe may belong to someone under the minimum age. Our Trust & Safety team reviews these reports and takes action where we have reasonable grounds to believe a user is under 16.
Immediate action on discovery
If we discover or have reasonable grounds to believe that a user is under 13, we immediately suspend their account, cease processing their personal data, and delete their data from our systems. We will notify the user (or their parent or guardian where contact information is available) of the action taken.
Data we do not collect from under-13s
We do not knowingly collect any personal information from children under 13. If a user circumvents our age gate and creates an account, and we subsequently discover they are under 13, we will:
- Immediately suspend and terminate the account
- Stop all processing of that user’s personal data
- Delete all personal data associated with the account from our systems
- Not retain any data beyond what is required to prevent re-registration
We do not sell personal information from any user, and we do not share personal information with third parties for advertising purposes.
Parent and guardian rights
If you are a parent or guardian and you believe your child under 13 has created a Circus account, please contact us immediately. We will:
- Review the account promptly
- Terminate the account if we confirm the user is under 13
- Delete all personal data associated with the account
- Confirm to you once deletion is complete
Parents and guardians may also request details of any personal information we may hold relating to their child, and request its deletion, by contacting us at the addresses below. We will respond within 30 days.
Monetization and under-18s
Monetization features on Circus — including Creator Fund earnings and paid content — require users to be 18 or older. Users aged 16 or 17 can use the platform and build communities but cannot access financial features. This age threshold is enforced at account level and cannot be overridden.
Contact
To report a potential underage account, request data deletion for a child, or for any COPPA-related inquiry, contact us at the addresses below.
- Trust & Safety: safety@circus.app — to report a potential underage account or request immediate account termination for a child under 13.
- Privacy: privacy@circus.app — for data deletion requests, access requests, and COPPA-related privacy inquiries from parents or guardians.
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