Genially is the tool that more and more schools are using to teach and energize their classes with interactive and gamified content. In just a few quick and easy clicks, it allows them to create personalized learning materials such as infographics, dynamic presentations, educational games and escape rooms, and endless interactive resources that make learning more visual, motivating, and memorable in any subject and for any age.
As it’s a tool that’s used in schools and by minors, it’s also our priority to provide a safe environment that protects students’ personal information. That’s why when a 13-year-old who lives in the United States signs up to Genially, we ask for their parent or guardian’s consent to complete their registration, in compliance with the FERPA and COPPA laws.
What are the FERPA and COPPA laws?
FERPA stands for the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. This law protects the privacy of the information and data of students, and it applies in public K-12 schools in the United States as well as in the majority of post-secondary educational institutions. This law guarantees that families or guardians can access said information in order to rectify it or control its disclosure. In other words, it protects students’ information from being shared with third parties without express permission.
COPPA refers to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. Like FERPA, it is a federal law in the United States. COPPA protects the privacy of minors under 13 of age and applies to websites. Due to this law, a parent or guardian’s authorization is required in order to collect the personal information of a student under 13.
How do minors sign up to Genially in order to guarantee their safety?
Any time a minor under 13 years old in the U.S. begins the registration process in Genially, we do not ask for their email, but that of a parent or guardian. In this way, that person will be in charge of approving the registration and, therefore, the student’s access to the tool. If the authorization is not given within 7 days, the process will not be completed and the account will be automatically deleted, along with any generated content.
Our aim is for Genially to be an environment that’s 100% safe, and especially for minors, from the moment they sign up and every time they use Genially to view or create content.
iKeepSafe certifies Genially’s compliance with FERPA and COPPA
We are endorsed by iKeepSafe, the organization that certifies our compliance with the FERPA and COPPA laws. Thanks to this certification, families, teachers, and the educational community can feel safe in the knowledge that Genially protects the privacy of minors. And all while they develop their creativity and technology skills and immerse themselves in more meaningful and memorable learning experiences.
So, how do minors work with Genially?
Minors can let their creativity and ingenuity loose with Genially, in an environment that’s specially prepared for students under 13 years of age.
As well as the fact that their personal information is protected and won’t be used for advertising purposes, certain features of Genially are also adapted to maintain the privacy of all the content they create.
In this way, all their creations are only accessible within the safe space in Genially, meaning they cannot be published on third-party sites like social media, nor indexed in search engines like Google. Similarly, features such as inserting external content or viewing social profiles are also blocked to guarantee the digital wellbeing of those under 13 years of age.
And, of course, families and guardians can contact Genially via this form to access, modify, or delete the minor’s information at any time.
