On February 25, 2026, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued an Enforcement Policy Statement Promoting the Adoption of Age-Verification Technology signaling a significant shift in its enforcement approach under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The FTC’s announcement comes amid a flurry of hotly-debated—and often challenged in court—state laws that require websites to verify users’ ages. The policy statement encourages broader adoption of age verification technologies by providing operators with enforcement flexibility provided they meet certain conditions. In this article, we address what the policy statement covers and considerations for businesses moving forward.