>Virtually all online services with user accounts collect personal information as defined by COPPA.
And that makes it right to do so? I think not.
Sure, it's necessary to store stuff like login credentials, if a login is required to access the site.
As such, it shouldn't matter how old (or young) you are, unless there's a specific need to store such information (and there rarely is) to support the use of whatever services are provided by a website, it's invasive and untrustworthy to do so.
And I respond accordingly.
Feel free to disagree, but that's not a discussion which will end in me changing my position.