[TriLUG] OT: at what age would you setup email for a child

[Igor Partola]

That's a bit over the top because nowadays kids under the age of 18
definitely need email for things like school projects. Also take a look at
this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children%27s_Online_Privacy_Protection_Act.
Highlights: for users under age 13, there are additional restrictions on
website operators for how to collect personal information. The opposite of
that means that if you are older than 13, you have slightly less protection.

My personal opinion is that it should be on a case-by-case basis: if the
child is mature, and a critical thinker, then email (and other web usage)
at a younger age may be more appropriate than for someone who is older, yet
not mature enough. There will be no magic number here as everyone's a bit
different. A good test would be this: show them their favorite music video
on YouTube. Then show them the comments section. If their first impulse is
to reply, don't let them online :).

Igor