WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government said on Thursday it had reached settlements with three Web sites accused of violating a law protecting children's online privacy, one year after the law went into effect.

The Federal Trade Commission said the operators of the Web sites -- www.girlslife.com, www.bigmailbox.com and www.insidetheweb.com -- agreed to pay a total of $100,000 in civil penalties for collecting names, addresses and other personal information from children under 13 without parental consent.

The firms also agreed to refrain from such behavior in the future and clear their databases of children's personal data.

The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, which took effect last April, bars all Web sites aimed at children from collecting personal data unless they have parental permission.