Alvin Poussaint, M.D. and Susan Linn, Ed. Online Pen Pals Requiring parents to provide consent through the mail, fax, or an 800-number provides families with time to actually think about whether or not they want children to provide personal information to a particular company.
Privacy policies vary.
Take time to read those that are posted, and make sure your child never provides personal information to companies that don't have posted policies. Make it absolutely clear to your child that he must never give out any personal information on the Internet without your prior consent. For your child's safety, it s important that she learn impulse control on the Internet. Talk about marketing, marketing techniques and the ways companies use personal information. This will help your child understand your concerns.