Families: Electronic Allowances

New websites and tough legislation make room for the next generation of e-shoppers: your kids

For 11-year-old Carolyn Cross of Palo Alto, Calif., shopping online is way cooler than your average trip to the mall, and for one very important reason: "You don't have to get your parents to drive you, which they, like, never do," she says. Carolyn's dad Peter might beg to differ about that, but he does agree that letting Carolyn make purchases at RocketCash, an e-commerce site designed for teens, makes things easier on the family. "Carolyn gets to feel in control, but I feel good 'cause her shopping is limited to certain stores and certain amounts," Cross says.

It's probably...

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