The U.S. Congress should undo the mistake it made in 1998 when it made 13 the age at which children can sign contracts with corporations to open accounts and give away their data without their parents’ knowledge or consent. I believe the age should be raised to 16 and enforced. The 16th birthday would become a major milestone at which we say to teens, “You can now get a driver’s license, and you can now sign certain kinds of contracts without any legal requirement for parental consent. You can now open social media accounts as well.” (There are good arguments for waiting until 18, but I think
...more
