It is clear from our research that marketers are targeting teens with a variety of new interactive strategies to involve them in the online consumer culture. Teenagers do not suddenly become more privacy savvy once they turn 13. A recent study released by the Annenberg Public Policy Center points to teens' readiness to provide access to personal information when offered a free gift. According to the report, young people seemed concerned about protecting their information privacy and nervous about Web sites' having information about them. However when they were offered the scenario of getting a free gift in exchange for personal or family information, many more children than parents were willing to provide it .
Privacy is a concept that is clearly understood differently by children and adults.
At the same time, however, teenagers should have some privacy rights of their own in the family context. We agree with other organizations that do not want to require Web sites to notify parents when teens supply personal information online. But we do believe that teens are entitled to fair information practices and that requiring such practices will help ensure that these young people become thoughtful, responsible consumers. While technological tools, such as filtering systems, may be useful for protecting children and teens from some inappropriate materials in home settings, our research shows that at this point in their development, filters still allow in some undesired content, while inadvertently blocking content that one might want. It is time to begin thinking more broadly about quality, to help in developing criteria for how the overall media culture should help prepare young people for their adult lives.