Surfing the Web is great, but unwanted advertising is a danger when you’re online. You’ve probably been warned to be wary of strangers you meet in public places – the same should be said about the Internet.

Behind all of the fun stuff on the Internet is a very serious business: selling to young adults just like you.  You have a lot of influence over how your household spends money. You help make decisions on where to eat dinner, what movies to see, and other activities for your whole family. Marketers are people whose job involves persuading consumers to buy what producers want to sell. They want you to choose their product, so advertising messages are directed to you, including messages sent over the Internet.

Advertisers spend millions of dollars marketing to young people online. According to an article published in a 2001 edition of Business Week, more than two thirds of all web sites designed for young adults earn money from advertising. To make sure what they’re doing will work, advertisers want to find out as much about you as they can. That becomes a problem when they start to collect information that invades your privacy or makes it possible for companies or individuals to share information like your account numbers, passwords or Social Security number.

Marketers have recently toned down their plans to collect and sell young adults’ information, mainly due to new laws that have passed. Companies that advertise on web sites designed for young adults must now place a privacy policy statement where you can easily find it. But the story isn’t over yet. Companies still want information about you. It’s up to you how much you decide to give them. So what can you do to protect yourself? 

1.  Look for sites that aren’t based on products – there will be less advertising on these sites.
2.  Don’t click on banners that try to lure you away to other sites.
3.  Don’t give out personal information to anyone online unless you are initiating the contact. Even then, be cautious.
4.  Learn to be a responsible surfer while on the Web. Follow this link to learn more about outsmarting online advertisers and how to stay safe online.