Web Awareness: Knowing the Issues Web Awareness: Knowing the Issues © Media Awareness Network 2000

Kids for Sale: online marketing to kids and privacy issues Safe Passage: Passage: teaching kids to be safe and responsible online Fact or Folly: Folly: authentication of online information Web Awareness: Knowing the Issues Web Awareness: Knowing the Issues © Media Awareness Network 2000

Kids for Sale: online marketing to kids and privacy issues Web Awareness: Knowing the Issues Web Awareness: Knowing the Issues © Media Awareness Network 2000

How can children know what’s true and what’s not on the Internet? How do children know when they are being informed, or entertained, or being informed, or entertained, or marketed to? How does interactivity affect the consumer?

What are the privacy issues? How do children know who’s who on the Internet? How can we teach children to stay in safe territory?

Center for Media Education

Online Advertising to Children Canada’s Children in a Wired World: The Parent’s View

Online Marketing Why is the Internet so appealing to marketers? n it’s part of kid-culture n kids have tremendous spending power: –Canadian kids between the ages of 9 and 14 spent $1.5 billion in 1998 –U.S. kids’ influence over family spending was estimated to be $160 billion in 1998 –Online spending by kids in the U.S. is expected to reach $1.3 billion by 2002

Why is the Internet so appealing to marketers? n it’s an interactive medium n it puts users into a receptive “flow state” n it offers limitless potential for data-mining n it’s difficult to regulate

Cookies Cookies can’t: n get your address n search the hard drive of your computer for personal information n spread computer viruses

Kids’ Commercial Sites n Branded –feature –feature products and characters of a specific company n Non-branded –do –do not appear to be affiliated with any company –may –may feature the products of a number of companies

62 % of beer, wine and alcohol sites display “youth oriented features” Center for Media Education

Personal Information Solicited from Kids n 96% - addresses n 74% - names n 49% - postal addresses n 46% - ages and birth dates n 25% - gender n 24% - phone numbers n 18% - interests n 13% - hardware or software information n 9% - hobbies

Would you permit your child to submit any of the following personal information to Web sites? Percentage saying “no” Canada’s Children in a Wired World: The Parent’s View

Children's Online Privacy Protection Act

A responsible kids’ site: n lists n lists its partners n states n states what information is being collected and how it will be used whether or not collected information is disclosed to third parties how parents can control the use of information already collected about their children Ensures that parents are made aware of the site’s privacy terms and conditions, in a clearly-stated privacy policy that: Ensures that parents are made aware of the site’s privacy terms and conditions, in a clearly-stated privacy policy that:

writtenwritten consent using postal mail or fax verbalverbal consent through a number verificationverification through identification such as a parent’s credit card number accompanied by a digital signature accompanied by a password Web sites must obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting, using or disclosing personal Web sites must obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting, using or disclosing personal information from a child under the age of 13. information from a child under the age of 13. When using the information internally: may use to get parental consent may use to get parental consent When disclosing the information publicly or to third parties, a site must obtain:

What Kids Need to Know about Online Marketing Kids need to: n understand that although commercial sites are fun, they exist to make money n recognize when, and how, they are being marketed to n understand the importance of protecting personal information online

What Adults Need to Know about Online Marketing Adults need to: n become proactive n go online with their children and students n preview and evaluate sites their kids visit

What Adults Need to Know about Online Marketing Adults need to: n choose the environment in which they and their children feel most comfortable

Web site Privacy Policy

This workshop has been produced by the Media Awareness Network For more information contact: Media Awareness Network © Media Awareness Network 2000 Kids for Sale

Sponsors of the Web Awareness Program F OUNDING S PONSORS Bell Canada Shaw Communications Inc. S ILVER S PONSORS S ILVER S PONSORS CTV CHUM Television B RONZE S PONSOR B RONZE S PONSOR CBC/Radio-Canada R ESEARCH AND D EVELOPMENT P ARTNERS CA*net Institute Industry Canada Department of Canadian Heritage Le Ministère de l’Éducation du Québec Fonds de l’Autoroute de l’Information du Québec Ontario Ministry of Citizenship, Health Canada Culture and Recreation Human Resources Development Canada Telefilm Canada G OLD S PONSORS G OLD S PONSORS Bell Canada Shaw Children’s Programming Initiative Home B ENEFACTORS CanWest Global CTV