State of the Net Conference 2022

The pandemic dramatically accelerated the use of cashless apps among American kids. During COVID parents discovered the anxiety-reducing benefits of their kids' smartphones. Kids could now order a Postmates snack during remote school or pay for a Panera muffin with a swipe of their phones — all with fintech enabled apps. Reports have detailed just how much personal data the market-leading debit card apps collect on children – everything from purchase history to GPS location – and how that data is used to micro-target advertisements. Who's protecting kids' fintech transactions? Probably not COPPA. And the 1999 Gramm-Leach-Bliley law was written at a time when holding a credit card was practically proof of adulthood. Congress wrote GLB for adults making financial transactions, not for kids. This panel will discuss what role policymakers and fintech companies should have to protect a child’s financial data in a cashless society.