Hi, I'm Miles Lifton,

I'm an 11-year-old software developer who used to have a GitHub. For those of you who do not know, GitHub is the center for sharing open-source projects and technologies. In a coder's career, having a GitHub is essential, and being 11 makes this even more important. Having a GitHub is the only way for me to gain the "respect" of older people. As a child, being able to show my skills, and portray how I am just as mature and skilled as everyone else is essential. 

However, on March 24, 2018, my GitHub was shut down. Over 1000 lines of public code, gone. This is due to COPPA. One of COPPA's main points is that anyone under 13 cannot own a social media account. While this is with good intent, it hinders certain essential and professional uses for social media. GitHub being a prime example. I think that certain forms of social media should be open to anyone. 

To clarify which social media should be allowed, I think that if any of the following conditions are met, they should be open to anyone:

• If the platform is used for strictly professional purposes
• If communication is not the main focus of the platform
• If the platform is meant as a professional content sharing tool
• If the platform benefits the child tremendously (I. E. If the account is used to raise awareness for a fundraiser to help the owner pay for cancer treatment)

(To be clear all of my social media accounts, including my Change.org account and GitHub account are managed by my parents.)