On Wednesday, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) revealed that it is mulling online privacy regulations which will require advertisers and social networks to seek the permission of parents before collecting personal information about children aged 12 years and below.

Proposing restrictive requirements for websites for children, the FTC said that more stringent online privacy rules will make it difficult for advertising networks, social networks and other third-party partners of Websites to collect personal details about children without permission from parents.

The proposals which the FTC released publicly on Wednesday essentially marks an expansion of the restrictions which were originally proposed by the commission in fall last year, after it discovered that rules that govern the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) had failed to keep pace with the advancements made in the Internet technology arena.

The adoption of the new regulations would require a children-targeting Website operator as well as any third-party as network or app to adhere to the 2000-implemented COPPA child privacy regulation, which makes it mandatory for Web companies to notify parents before obtaining personal details from children.

With the stricter regulations being backed by several consumer groups, Ioana Rusu – the Consumer Union’s regulatory counsel – said in a statement that the FTC proposals makes it clear to industry partners that “protecting children’s online privacy is a shared priority.”