Google considering online accounts for kids

Google Inc is considering allowing online accounts for children under the age of 13 and give their parents control over how the service is used, according to media reports.

Google has been working on a version of YouTube, its video-sharing site, for youngsters and is considering other child-friendly accounts such as its Gmail system, Reuters reported, citing the Financial Times.

Internet companies such as Google and Facebook Inc do not offer their services to children under 13, but it is tough to catch users who sign up by providing false information.

A US law called Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, imposes strict controls on the collection and use of information about children under 13.