Pew: Most Parents Worried About Online Advertiser Profiling of Kids

Study finds 81% worried about what info is being collected

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 11/20/2012 11:11:49 AM

The vast majority of parents (81%) say they are very or somewhat concerned about how much information advertisers can collect about their children's online activities, with 46% in the "very concerned" category. That is according to a new study from the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

Previous Pew surveys have found that a majority of adult Internet users don't like to have their own online behavior tracked and analyzed. But Pew also points out that "most of the free services available online involve a tradeoff: In return for being able to access services online for free, information is collected about users to deliver targeted advertising."

That collective score topped the list of parent's online worries, even beating out interaction with strangers online and impact on their future opportunities and reputations, though those categories drew higher "very worried" scores.

But parents are doing more than worrying. The study found that 50% had used parental control, and almost as many had (46%) had talked with their children about their online profile and had even read privacy policies (44%).

The study is based on a phone survey of 802 parents and their teenage children (12-17), conducted July 26-Sept. 30, 2012. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.5 points.