[originaltext] Going online is a favorite recreation for millions of American

Going online is a favorite recreation for millions of American children. The Internet both entertains mid educates children, however, there are some possible negative consequences for children who access kid-based websites. Advertising on kid-based websites has become both a rapidly growing mariner for consumer companies and a concern for parents. With a click on an icon, children can link to advertisers and be granted tremendous spending power. Children are an important target group for consumer companies. Children under age 12 spent $14 billion, teenagers another $67 billion, and together they influenced $160 billion of their parents’ incomes.
   Many critics question the appropriateness of targeting children in Internet advertising and press to require that children be treated as a "special case" by advertisers. Because children lack the analytical abilities and judgment of adults, they may be unable to evaluate the accuracy of information they view, or understand that the information they provide to advertisers is really just data collected by an advertiser.
   In return, many advertisers argue that we underestimate the levels of media awareness shown by children. By the age of seven or eight most children can recognize an advertisement and know that its purpose is to sell something and are able to make judgments about the products shown in advertisements. However, as marketers, we should be explicit about our purpose when advertising to children on the Internet.