To protect personal data, legislative initiatives have been taken in the European Union. Moreover, institutions have made specific recommendations to protect minors online. In order to check whether legal obligations were observed and recommendations applied, websites of organisations established in Belgium and mainly targeting kids and teens have been analysed.

The results show that, while a majority (8 out of 10) collects personal data, only a minority observes the privacy rights of the young website visitors. This results from an analysis of 294 websites published in the fourth privacy paper entitled "Cyberkids’ e-Privacy" by Prof. Dr. Michel Walrave of the University of Antwerp (Belgium).

Privacy statements summarising information concerning the identity of the responsible for the data processing, the purpose of it and the specific privacy rights, are present in only a minority of websites harvesting personal data (4 out of 10).

Furthermore, the privacy statements are often incomplete or do not use a phrasing adjusted to the target group. Also, few companies involve the parents when collecting personal data, by informing them or asking their permission.

Therefore new initiatives or (co-)regulations could be taken to make clear when, for which purpose(s), how and which personal data of minors can be processed. How minors are informed about this and how they can exercise their privacy rights are important for the development and awareness of the growing-up consumers. Moreover, some explanation is needed about the circumstances in which the advice or permission of a parent is indispensable.
 
The purpose of the Privacy Papers is to investigate specific topics in the area of privacy protection in the information society in general and the internet in particular. Since 1992 Prof. Dr. Michel Walrave, the author of the papers, has been conducting research on the implications of the information society, especially (online) data protection and direct marketing. 

Further information, including a 20 page summary of the report in English or Dutch can be found on the Belgian e-privacy website.