MINORS, CONTRACTS AND CONSEQUENCES. Final Report of the Project Presented to Industry Canada s Office of Consumer Affairs

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1 MINORS, CONTRACTS AND CONSEQUENCES Fia Report of the Project Preseted to Idustry Caada s Office of Cosuer Affairs Jue 2011

2 Report pubished by: Uio des cosoateurs ebers: Abitibi-Téiscaigue ACEF 6226 Sait-Hubert Street Aiate Beauce Etcheis ACEF Motrea, Quebec H2S 2M2 Motrea East ACEF Îe-Jésus ACEF Teephoe: Laaudière ACEF To free: Estrie ACEF Fax: Grad-Portage ACEF Motérégie East ACEF ifo@uiodescosoateurs.ca Motrea North ACEF Québec City South Shore ACEF ACQC Idividua ebers Writte by Me Gabrie Dupuis Uio des cosoateurs Research Me Gabrie Dupuis Editoria aageet Me Marce Boucher ISBN Uio des cosoateurs is a eber of the Iteratioa Cosuer Orgaizatio (ICO), a federatio of 234 ebers fro 113 coutries. The ascuie is used geericay i this report. Uio des cosoateurs received fudig uder Idustry Caada s Cotributios Progra for No-Profit Cosuer ad Voutary Orgaizatios. The views expressed i this report are ot ecessariy those of Idustry Caada or of the Goveret of Caada. Uio des cosoateurs 2011 page 2

3 Tabe of Cotets UNION DES CONSOMMATEURS, Stregth through Networig 5 1. INTRODUCTION 6 2. THE ISSUE The Sociaizatio of Miors as Cosuers The Growth of Miors' Discretioary Spedig Cotracts Pertaiig to Miors' Ordiary Needs Cotracts That Are Particuary Probeatic for Miors QUEBEC LEGAL FRAMEWORK Reguatios Goverig the Abiity of Miors to Cotract The Vaidity of Cotracts Etered ito by Miors The Cosuer Protectio Act ad Miors A Few Court Cases The Paradox of Miors' Abiity to Cotract CANADIAN LEGAL FRAMEWORK Age of Majority i Caadia Provices The Abiity of Miors to Cotract: Coo Law The Specia Case of British Coubia Federa Jurisdictio Issues FOREIGN LEGAL FRAMEWORKS Coutries of Ago-Saxo Traditio Frace Russia Geray ANALYSIS OF COLLECTED DATA Object ad Scope Methodoogy Parets of Teeagers Merchats Govereta Cosuer Protectio Orgaizatios AVAILABLE SOURCES OF INFORMATION I Quebec I Caada 88 page 3

4 7.3 I Frace CONCLUSION Possibe Soutios to the Issues Idetified Reiforcig Geera Cosuer Protectio Measures Cear Rues to Hep Miors Exercise Their Rights Settig Oce ad for A the Probe of Chargeabe Text Messages Prootig the Cosuer ad Persoa Fiace Educatio of Miors RECOMMENDATIONS 98 MEDIAGRAPHY 102 ANNEXES Aex 1: Questioaire for Cosuers 109 Aex 2: Questioaire for Merchats 110 Aex 3: Questioaire for Frech-Laguage Orgaizatios 111 Aex 4: Questioaire for Egish-Laguage Orgaizatios 112 Aex 5: Parets' Resuts 113 Aex 6: Cases i the Media 114 page 4

5 Uio des cosoateurs, Stregth through Networig Uio des cosoateurs is a o-profit orgaizatio whose ebership is coprised of severa ACEFs (Associatios coopératives d écooie faiiae), Associatio des cosoateurs pour a quaité das a costructio (ACQC), as we as idividua ebers. Uio des cosoateurs issio is to represet ad defed the rights of cosuers, with particuar ephasis o the iterests of ow-icoe househods. Uio des cosoateurs activities are based o vaues cherished by its ebers: soidarity, equity ad socia justice, as we as the objective of ehacig cosuers ivig coditios i ecooic, socia, poitica ad eviroeta ters. Uio des cosoateurs structure eabes it to aitai a broad visio of cosuer issues eve as it deveops i-depth expertise i certai prograig sectors, particuary via its research efforts o the eergig issues cofrotig cosuers. Its activities, which are atiowide i scope, are eriched ad egitiated by its fied wor ad the deep roots of its eber associatios i the couity. Uio des cosoateurs acts aiy at the atioa eve, by represetig the iterests of cosuers before poitica, reguatory or ega authorities or i pubic forus. Its priority issues, i ters of research, actio ad advocacy, icude the foowig: faiy budgets ad idebtedess, eergy, teephoe services, radio broadcastig, cabe teevisio ad the Iteret, pubic heath, food ad biotechoogies, fiacia products ad services, busiess practices, ad socia ad fisca poicy. Fiay, regardig the issue of ecooic gobaizatio, Uio des cosoateurs wors i coaboratio with severa cosuer groups i Egish Caada ad abroad. It is a eber of Cosuers Iteratioa (CI), a Uited Natios recogized orgaizatio. page 5

6 1. Itroductio As is we ow, parets soeties have the ipressio of ot seeig their chidre grow up, so fast is their race to idepedece. Betwee their first purchase of sweets at the corer store ad the reta of their first apartet, chidre becoe aduts at a pace that soeties aazes us. Our study s tite, Miors, Cotracts ad Cosequeces, expresses a coteporary reaity: iors are highy active cosuers, ad a fast-growig aret. I fact, as we wi see, youg peope eter ito cotracts with erchats providig the with goods ad services, ad those cotracts have cosequeces. What cosuer issues are ost frequety reported regardig iors? What are the risiest situatios? Ca a chid ae ajor purchases without his parets coset ad participatio? Is the situatio differet i the case of a teeager sti a ior, techicay ad egay? Youg peope today are ever ore soicited, ivited to acquire goods ad services that, to the geeratios targeted, appear aost as essetia ites, toos they have coe to view as ecessary to surviva (at east socia surviva). Of course we have to be aware that acts of cosuptio are extreey coo, to the poit where ofte the questio of abiity to cotract does ot eve coe to id: youg peope do t surprise ayoe whe they purchase edibe goods (coveiece store, superaret, restaurat), boos or agazies, CDs, trasportatio fare, etc. But we start to woder whe a youg perso coes hoe with desiger cothes, a high-ed bicyce, a tattoo, etc. At what ca a ior acquire a first ce phoe (ad eter ito a service cotract to use it), a first utifuctio portabe reader, or eve a first credit card? What reedies does a ior have whe a erchat abuses his iexperiece (or his esser abiity to resist the ca of cosueris)? I such cases, shoud the paret go to court or shoud the chid hisef assert his rights? Does the chid eve have the ega abiity to do so? For his part, does the erchat, whe deaig owigy or uowigy with a ior, have a right to evoe trasactio security? Are parets ad erchats we ifored about appicabe ega rues? How do they perceive the estabishet ad appicatio of a fraewor for the cosueris of iors? How are the issues surroudig youg peope s abiity to cotract deat with i Quebec, Caada ad esewhere i the word? Are there shortcoigs i the ega fraewor for trasactios iey to be ade by iors? Are iors ore at ris tha ever before? If so, what ca goveret do to better protect iors? page 6

7 Those are a few of the questios to which our study wi attept to fid aswers. The tas is quite dautig, i a fied that has hardy bee expored by researchers ad ega experts. For this reaso, our study is reativey descriptive of the cotext, but aso exporatory i a epirica sese, to ay the foudatio for future research ecessariy ore specific o the subject. The first part of the report wi describe the issues ost ofte raised about cotracts etered ito by iors. I subsequet pages, we wi preset the reguatios goverig cotracts cocuded by iors i Quebec, other Caadia provices ad esewhere. We coducted a survey of parets of teeagers, erchats ad govereta cosuer protectio orgaizatios, to deterie how these various staehoders perceive or appy the ega fraewor. The fifth part of our report aayses the resuts of that survey. After assessig the issues i the ight of the fidigs, the report cocudes with a few recoedatios ad possibe soutios for better protectig ior cosuers. Issues ot addressed As part of this study, we discuss iors abiity to cotract as cosuers of goods ad services. Accordigy, we wi ot address certai aspects of iors ega situatio that, athough iterestig, are of secodary iportace i our iquiries. We wi therefore ot exaie reguatios goverig the abiity of iors to coset to edica care, estabish their doicie, choose their custodia paret, eter ito certai types of ocosuer cotracts (chid star cotracts, for exape), etc. page 7

8 2. The Issue To research ad uderstad the issues cocerig youg cosuers, we ust recogize that utipe aspects are ivoved. We thus thi it essetia to study, i additio to practica probes experieced by youg cosuers, other reaities shapig the cotext i which iors cosue goods ad services. Accordigy, we first exaie the specific vuerabiities of ior cosuers, as we as chidre s sociaizatio as cosuers. I particuar, we wi study certai socio-ecooic chages that have ared the evoutio of the oder faiy ad heped positio iors as cosuers at a ever-youger age. Fro a practica poit of view, we wi try to idetify the cosuer probes that iors (ad their parets, by extesio) are iey to face whe purchasig goods or services fro erchats. 2.1 The Sociaizatio of Miors as Cosuers Chidre ad teeagers do t becoe cosuers a of a sudde, but through a og sociaizatio process that begis at a very youg age. Whe his parets tae hi shoppig, a eight-oth-od baby arves at the bright coours of the various products o dispay ad is fasciated by this word he is discoverig. Accordig to a study, a chid has goe shoppig over 200 ties by the age of two 1. The chid s woderet at products o dispay i departet stores is a the greater because those products (ad the type of pace where they ca be obtaied) gai the prestige of beig o TV. 60% of 3-year-ods reportedy recogize products advertised o teevisio; the proportio cibs to 84% ad 88% of chidre 4 ad 5 years od, respectivey 2. 1 ATES, Bayazit Hayta. Sociaizatio of the Chid as a Cosuer, Faiy ad Cosuer Scieces Research Joura, Vo. 37, No. 2, Op. Cit., Note 1. page 8

9 Ideed, we shoud ot uderestiate the power of attractio exercised by what is preseted o teevisio, a ediu so preset i chidre s ives. I this regard, Réseau Éducatio-Médias aes the foowig observatio: La pubicité qui cibe es jeues efats souève aussi des probèes particuiers. La recherche otre que es efats de deux à ciq as e peuvet pas faire a différece etre es éissios de téévisio courates et es pubicités. Jusqu à âge de huit as eviro, is e copreet pas que a pubicité e dépeit pas toujours a réaité 3. Chidre s difficuty i distiguishig betwee iforatio ad advertisig is of course a factor that reiforces their desire to possess products advertised o teevisio if oy to ae the word i which they ive correspod to the fatasy word i which the product is preseted to the seses (the ideaized physica eviroet, coours ad souds), eotioay (overfowig joy, affectio ad peasure) or physicay (peope ad thigs ofte see to defy the aws of physics). The Caadia Toy Testig Couci observes that oe of the biggest probes with toy ads is the exaggeratio of product cais, so that youg chidre thi a toy ca actuay do a ot ore because of the way it is portrayed i advertiseets 4. Without perceivig a the uaces, chidre quicy uderstad the roe of oey i obtaiig the products advertised o teevisio ad dispayed o store sheves, as a study idicates: A 4-year-od chid caot cout oey; however, he or she ows that oey ca be exchaged for ice thigs. Chidre i the age of 5 to 8 years fid it excitig to possess oey; they fid peasure i coutig ad aagig oey. A chid of 9 years or oder is faiiar with usig oey, ad it does ot excite hi or her to have oey 5. Chidre s first experiece with oey features spedig, o savig. Ad coficts quicy arise with parets over the choice of buyig or ot certai goods or services (or over the choice of a particuar ite rather tha aother). 41% of faiies report coficts with their chidre before the atter reached the age of two. This proportio rapidy icreases with age. It reaches 59% aog faiies with chidre 2 to 5 years of age, ad eve 70% aog faiies with a 5-year-od chid 6. 3 Idustry Caada. The Cosuer Treds Report, 2004, [Oie], (cosuted o February 25, 2011). 4 Op. Cit., Note 3. 5 Op. Cit., Note 1. 6 Op. Cit., Note 1. page 9

10 Disputes betwee parets ad chidre ofte resut fro youg chidre beig ore iey to exaggerate the iportace of a product s aciary aspect (cotaiig a free toy, for exape) as opposed to cosideratios usuay guidig parets: ecooic criteria, product quaity, etc.: For chidre i eary chidhood, free gifts such as sa toys with the ai product are ore attractive tha prootios such as price discouts or payet faciities. For istace, a chid of 5 years od i the perceptive thiig phase prefers expesive crisps with a toy i it to a cheaper pacet of crisps, just as the faous McDoad s restaurats esured brad oyaty by attractig chidre of this age to its products with its tiy toys prootios for og years. This situatio has two egative effects o chid cosuers. The first of these is that the chid aes a choice based o a criterio ot reated to the product itsef but based o the free gift; the secod is that the chid ay seect a ow quaity product by choosig based of free gifts 7. Sti, parets cotiue payig a structurig roe i the deveopet of their chidre s cosuer habits. Cosciousy or ot, itetioay or ot, parets reportedy use five differet techiques to teach their chidre how to becoe cosuers: prohibitig certai activities; givig cosuer advice; exchagig ideas o cosuer decisios; beig a good exape to their chidre; aowig chidre to ear fro their ow experiece 8. Chidre obviousy absorb such earig i a highy persoa ad idividua aer. Oe author poits out chidre ess tha 18 years of age shoud ot be cosidered a hoogeeous group: Chidre are ofte treated as a hoogeeous socia group of apparety ipressioabe ad pressurized idividuas rather tha as diverse i ters of age, abiities, sese of sef/agecy ad owedge of, ad experiece with, ateria ad cosuer cuture 9. After the age of 10, a chid begis beig abe to pa for the future, to a certai extet. He ca thus uderstad the iportace of ot spedig a of oe s oey iediatey, ad becoes soewhat abe to save for the future 10. Moreover, at that age the chid deveops a desire (or a eed) to appear ature. Maretig experts who have t faied to otice this say that at that stage a chid has oe foot i the word of chidhood, ad aother i the adut word 11. This is particuary true for youg girs 9 to 14 years od, who are ted ore to search for cosuer iforatio i agazies apparety addressed to a oder pubic Op. Cit., Note 1. 8 Op. Cit., Note 1. 9 MARTENS, Lydia, Dae SOUTHERTON ad Sue SCOTT. Brigig Chidre (ad Parets) ito the Socioogy of Cosuptio: Towards a Theoretica ad Epirica Ageda, Joura of Cosuer Cuture, vo. 4, No. 2, 2004, pp , DOI: / Op. Cit., Note BROOKES, Fioa ad Peter KELLY. Doy girs: tweeies as artefacts of cosuptio, Joura of Youth Studies, vo. 12, No. 6, 2009, pp Op. Cit., Note 11. page 10

11 Mareters are of course ot passive i the face of this process whereby chidre ear to be cosuers; the coercia discourse eve sees to reforuate the socioogica discourse to its ow advatage. Cosuer cuture is deiberatey targetig chidre fro a youg age with essages about what is beautifu ad who is coo ad at the sae tie aig ateriaistic ad appearace ors ad vaues a ey focus of chidre s sociaizatio experiece. Chidhood has becoe icreasigy coerciaized ad chidre are o oger see as outsiders to coteporary cosuer cuture. Whe chidhood is described with pay, fu ad toys, the chidre's aret is aturaized ad sacraized by aig toy aers a part of the adscape of chidhood. Accordig to Coo (2007) the cocept of chid cosuer arises fro discourses that are produced by areters, retaiers, researchers ad advertisers. Mareters have positioed the socia eaig of their goods ad brads betwee parets ad chidre. Coo (2007) coceptuaizes the chid cosuer as a socia costructio i.e. a assebage of quaities, beiefs ad cojectures cocerig the ature ad otivatio of chidre regardig coercia goods ad eaigs Whe studyig aret actors discourses i North Aerica they describe chidre as free aret actors (i.e. as cosuers), which therefore serves to ae aretig to the a oray acceptabe practice. [...] Discourses o coerciaizatio ad coercia aretig to chidre draw o wider arguets that see chidre as copetet socia subjects who have the right to participate i society ad have a ifuece over their ow ives. Chidhood is ebraced by a ew id of aturaess, it is repacig the earier assuptios of deveopet that stricty evoves through ages ad i stages 13. This acute iterest i the youth aret, ad the eas tae to have chidre participate i the cosuer word, ight aoe justify the eed for egisative itervetio to aitai a baace betwee this cosuerist osaught ad iors as vuerabe cosuers. A ajor aspect of iors earig their cosuer roe is pragatic, however, with the sipe presece of chidre i shoppig cetres, i the copay of persos with who they wat to tae part i a shoppig activity because they cosider the ore experieced. The average teeager speds up to 3.5 hours a wee i shoppig cetres 14. As the chid grows up, he acquires experiece i the cosuer word as esewhere, ad deveops a critica abiity i the face of offers ade to hi. But it shoud ever be forgotte that teeage cosuers reai, i a sese, i a probatioary period, sice his youg age ad iited experiece prevet hi fro havig a the ecessary perspective for correcty judgig 13 VÄISTÖ, Terhi Chidre ad brads i cosuer cuture. The foratio of private ad socia idetities, Maretig Master's thesis (2009), p. 17 ad foowig, [Oie], (cosuted o Jue 22, 2011). 14 CRUTSINGER, Christy, Dee KNIGHT ad HaeJug KIM. Tees cosuer iteractio styes: the ipact of assertive ad aggressive behaviour o attitudes towards aretig practices, Iteratioa Joura of Cosuer Studies, Vo. 34, 2010, DOI: /j x. page 11

12 the aretig essages couicated to hi 15, particuary give the eorous peer pressure 16. Sti, the teeage cosuer s judgeet ay vary depedig o the iforatio source ad eas of acquisitio avaiabe to hi: Tees are ore iey to purchase products based o quaity, vaue ad utiitaria fuctio if they read prited edia ad iteract with their parets. However, tees who rey o frieds ad teevisio advertisig for product iforatio ted to be ore brad ad fashio coscious ad ipusive i their product seectios 17. Thus, peer pressure proves a very poor source of advice whe a youg perso s other sources of cosuer iforatio are too iited or are oexistet. The fact that youg peope wi cotiue payig a iportat roe i the cosuer word appears iexorabe, despite their difficuty i uderstadig a the whys ad wherefores. The growig pace of youg peope especiay teeagers i the cosuer word is expaied i arge part by a sipe reaity: they have the eas. 15 MCGREGOR, Sue L.T. Portrayig the Caadia popuatio as cosuers, Caadia Hoe Ecooics Joura, Vo. 51, No. 1, 2001, pp , [Oie], (cosuted o Jue 22, 2011). 16 CRUTSINGER, Christy, Dee KNIGHT ad HaeJug KIM. Tees cosuer iteractio styes: the ipact of assertive ad aggressive behaviour o attitudes towards aretig practices, Iteratioa Joura of Cosuer Studies, Vo. 34, 2010, DOI: /j x. 17 Op. Cit., Note 17. page 12

13 2.2 The Growth of Miors Discretioary Spedig Chidre s Cotributio to the Faiy Ti It is we ow that the roe of chidre ad teeagers, ad their pace i the faiy structure, have bee greaty evovig for severa decades. The stateet reais correct ad reevat for the purposes of our study. Oe of the ost striig chages is the icrease, particuary aog teeagers, i the aouts of oey that youg peope ca sped i a essetiay discretioary aer, ore or ess without pareta supervisio or itervetio, to satisfy their ow desires or eeds. This cotrasts with the days whe the faiy was coceived as a soidary uit serviced aost excusivey by its ebers, who sought to fufi the faiy s eeds rather tha their ow, as Ai de Regt poits out i a artice o the evoutio of chidre s roe withi the faiy: Over the course of the 20th cetury, the positio of chidre i the faiy ecooy has chaged fudaetay. Chidre are o oger co-providers i the faiy, or do they suppy abor power to the faiy as a whoe. [ ] Teeagers do ot cotribute to the faiy icoe eve whe they get paid for out-of-schoo wor 18. Accordig to this researcher, these chages are expaied aiy by faiies iproved ivig coditios ad avaiabe icoe sice the ed of the Secod Word War. Give that parets deped ess o their chidre s fiacia cotributio to the faiy, the ecooic roe of chidre withi the faiy has bee redefied. For icreasigy ore parets, it becae ora ad desirabe that their chidre ade o active ecooic cotributio to the faiy, as had bee the stadard for ebers of the eite i the past. The direct ecooic reciprocity betwee the geeratios chaged ito a oe-way fow fro the oder to the youger geeratio 19. We ote here how this chage i vaues appies: ot oy is chidre s cotributio to the faiy ti o oger required, it eve becoes, fro the parets viewpoit, sociay udesirabe, as though abadoig reciprocity costitutes a ew bechar of ecooic ad socia success. Oe author sees this as the resut of a geeratio of chidre educated by parets ore prosperous tha i the past, but poor as ever before i ters of tie 20. I additio, parets are very aware that, i a cosuer society such as ours, their chidre have reativey expesive tastes. Parets do t have the fiacia resources to satisfy a those desires, so aowig their chidre to sped their ow oey i a discretioary aer is a teptig soutio for ay parets: 18 DE REGT, Ai. Chidre i the 20th-cetury faiy ecooy: Fro co-providers to cosuers, History of the Faiy, Vo. 9, 2004, pp Op. Cit., Note SCHAEFER, Ae D., Chares M. HERMANS ad R. Stephe PARKER. A cross-cutura exporatio of ateriais i adoescets, Iteratioa Joura of Cosuer Studies, Vo. 28, No. 4, 2004, pp page 13

14 Parets do ot expect their chidre to give part of their earigs as a cotributio to the faiy budget. Yet they vaue the oey their chidre ear. They reaize that they theseves woud ot be abe to provide oey to eep up the ifestye their adoescets dead. The status copetitio aout youg peope cas for participatio i a expesive cosuer cuture. Ad though pubic opiio is ofte critica of the high cosuptio eve of teeagers, parets fee their oppositio ight eave their chidre excuded fro their peer group 21. Of course, the abiity of iors to acquire the goods ad services they desire does ot deped soey o their parets geerosity or fiacia resources, as ephasized i aother study, which expais that differeces i parets resources are ot ecessariy refected i the tota resources avaiabe to their chidre for their ow expeses: Aso, teeagers ca wor to a certai extet ad ear their ow oey. Thus, i spite of parets priary cotributio, it is ot obvious that the ecooic eve of the chidre is deteried by the parets resources. Moreover, the aocatio of resources withi the faiy ca differ as a fuctio of ecooic situatio. Swedish studies have show that chidre i ecooicay vuerabe hoes have a poorer situatio copared with other chidre i severa respects (e.g. ow cash argi, ow roo), but i other areas (e.g. pocet oey ad owig a obie phoe) they are party or totay copesated ad therefore to soe degree ideified for their parets poor situatio 22. We observe a reversa here i the faiy situatio: the chid, who used to share those reveues with the faiy, is ow subsidized by the faiy, eve i ecooicay difficut ties. Moreover, as opposed to what oe ight have beieved, chidre s power withi the faiy has ot suffered quite the cotrary fro this redefiitio of roes whereby chidre o oger cotribute to the faiy ti: Reatios withi the faiy becae ess hierarchica; chidre were treated ore as equas; their deads were tae ore seriousy; ad ore of their wishes were et. [ ] Behaviora deads are ess stricty eforced, ad parets ad chidre egotiate about acceptabe behavior. Loss of ecooic fuctio has ot weaeed the power of chidre i the faiy 23. Give the historicay advatageous positio of today s chidre withi their faiy, it is ot surprisig to observe, as does the Vaier Istitute, that youg peope Icreasigy, youg peope are eavig hoe at oder ages ad coig bac. Leavig hoe has becoe a oger process wherei cose ties with the faiy hoe are uraveed sowy rather tha beig cut quicy Op. Cit. Note OLSSON, Ei. The Ecooic Side of Socia Reatios: Househod Poverty, Adoescets Ow Resources ad Peer Reatios, Europea Socioogica Review, Vo. 23, No. 4, 2007, p , DOI: /esr/jc Op. Cit., Note VANIER INSTITUTE. Faiy Couts: Profiig Caada s Faiies, 2010, [Oie], (cosuted o March 29, 2011). page 14

15 Athough this uber does ot directy pertai to iors, it is iterestig to ote that i 2006, about 60% of youg aduts 20 to 24 years of age were ivig with their parets a icrease of 40% copared to % of Caadias 15 to 19 years of age were ivig with their parets i A teeager eavig the faiy est at the age of 16 to go to wor is thus a extree case (except perhaps i Nuavut, where the proportio is about 80%) 27. This iforatio is iportat, because it deostrates that we shoud ot aayse the rues goverig the abiity of iors by cosiderig as the or the case of a ior who eaves faiy hoe to ive i copete idepedece; that is statisticay rarer tha previousy. I other words, give the situatio of ost youg peope today, the desire to esure the ega security of trasactios cocuded by iors, which woud resut fro the ecessity to give idepedet iors the possibiity of acquirig thigs essetia to their subsistece, shoud ot tae priority over cocers to protect the other iors, sti depedet o their parets. As we wi see, this coet appies particuary to reguatios for the abiity of iors to cotract i Caadia provices (except Quebec), where protectio grated to iors is reduced whe they cotract for ecessities 28. Fro a critica viewpoit, we shoud reeber that the typica situatio of idepedet iors as a justificatio for the exceptio i the case of ecessities which was deveoped i a era whe the age of ajority was uch higher thus appies oy to 8% of Caadia iors. Therefore, we fid it questioabe to reduce protectio for the reaiig 92% of iors who ive with their parets, i the ae of ega security (whose ecessity does ot appear to be prove) that is usefu oy to 8% of iors. I Quebec aw, the possibe eacipatio of the rare iors who ow eave the faiy hoe aows us, to a certai extet, to avoid this trap 29. It woud be usefu to eep these paradig chages i id whe exaiig ega fraewors for protectig iors i cotractua situatios, ad to deterie how aws frequety desiged i a very differet socia cotext ca appy to the curret situatio ad how they adapt to it. 25 Op. Cit., Note Op. Cit., Note Op. Cit., Note See our aaysis of aws ad reguatios for cotracts etered ito by iors i Caadia provices. 29 Sec. 167 ad fo. CCQ page 15

16 2.2.2 The Teeage Epoyet Rate More teeagers are worig owadays tha i the past. I fact, ore ad ore teeagers have paid epoyet, eve durig their high schoo studies. I this regard, the Vaier Istitute reports the foowig facts: I 2005, aog tees goig to schoo fu-tie, oe i five (21%) had a paid job. [ ] The average tie spet worig at a paid job i 2005 was 0.7 hours o schoo days ad 1.7 hours per day o weeeds, a overa icrease of 2 hours per wee sice The Istitute aso otes that teeage participatio i househod chores sighty diiished betwee 1986 ad 2005, fro 28 iutes to 23 iutes per day 31. Opiios differ o the icreased ivoveet of youg peope i the abour aret. Soe of the see this as a opportuity to deveop their sis ad sese of resposibiity, whereas others ofte view it as a certai for of expoitatio, with a McJob as the archetype. A Aerica researcher states that the ac of pressure fet by teeagers to cotribute to the faiy icoe ad thus the fact that they have esser eeds, especiay sice essetia eeds are esured by the faiy uit resuts i their criteria for appreciatig a job ad ot just ecooic criteria ay ot be the sae as with aduts: Uie the aduts who woud otherwise fufi these positios, affuet teeagers are ess cocered with havig beefits, ad the ess tha fu-tie hours are ess probeatic for teeagers. Therefore, ow wages ad ac of beefits that are typica characteristics of expoitive jobs are ot ecessariy cosidered expoitative by the teeagers who coe fro affuet bacgrouds with ape aowaces ad heath beefits though their faiies 32. As we wi see, it is aso cear that egisators have geeray sought to favour youth epoyet. I Quebec, for exape, the Civi Code cosiders iors, without exceptio, as aduts whe cotractig i the course of their epoyet (sec. 156 CCQ). Aother reveaig exape: studet oas ad bursaries are cacuated i good part o the assuptio of eared icoe durig schoo brea oths 33. Oce it is recogized that the wor of iors is a way for the, free of the eed to cotribute to the faiy s direct/coective icoe, to acquire a socia idetity by becoig faiiar with ad itegratig ito the cosuer cuture for the soe purpose of satisfyig their ow eeds or desires (whether shaped or ot by that sae cosuer cuture), the occasioay harfu effects of teeage paid wor shoud ot be iiized. The Vaier Istitute, aog others, raises this cocer: 30 Op. Cit., Note Op. Cit., Note BESEN, Yasei. Expoitatio or Fu? The Lived Experiece of Teeage Epoyet i Suburba Aerica, Joura of Coteporary Ethography, Vo. 35, 2006, pp , DOI: / Reguatio respectig fiacia assistace for educatio expeses, RRQ, c A-13.3, r 1. page 16

17 Tees ead busy ives ad ay report feeigs of stress. Oe i six cosidered theseves worahoics, 39% fet uder costat pressure to accopish ore tha they ca hade, whie 64% reported that they cut bac o seep to get thigs doe 34. We ca cocude that today s teeagers do ore paid wor (two hours ore per wee tha i 1986) but ess housewor (35 iutes ess per wee) ad have ore oey to sped as they ie, sice they geeray do t have to share their icoe with the rest of the faiy. So it s obvious why aretig experts are ore ad ore iterested i chidre ad teeagers. Ad it s iportat to ceary defie the fraewor for the ever ore uerous cotractua obigatios ipied by the greater participatio of youg peope i coercia activities A Few Nubers o the Fiacia Resources of Miors Ceary, today s iors have greater fiacia resources tha i the past ad ca use the as they wish. But deteriig exacty how great those resources are reais ore difficut. I Caada, a study coducted i the id-ieties foud that teeagers 12 to 17 years of age have a average disposabe icoe of about $500 a oth. At first sight, this uber is surprisig; we assue that the average is raised by the group s oder ebers, ore of who wor 35. It shoud aso be recaed that iors disposabe icoe does ot derive etirey fro wor, but aso fro their parets, who deegate certai purchases to their chidre: Earier Aerica research shows that tees auay spet ore tha $60 biio (US) of their ow oey, ad ore tha 30 biio (US) of their paret s oey, i the eary 90s 36. O the acro socia eve, the growig iportace of ior cosuers is cofired. A study reports that Aerica teeagers spet about $141 biio i 1998, i.e., aost doube the aout i the previous decade. For their part, Caadias 10 to 19 years of age spet $13.5 biio o various goods ad services i Op. Cit., Note More-recet data avaiabe fro Statistics Caada oy dea with epoyet icoe eared by year-ods, thus ufortuatey excudig aouts fro other sources (aowaces, gifts, etc.) ad icudig the epoyet icoe of youg aduts 18 ad 19 years of age. This is why we cite the foowig study, eve though it ay begi to be dated: MCGREGOR, Sue L.T. Portrayig the Caadia popuatio as cosuers, Caadia Hoe Ecooics Joura, Vo. 51, No. 1, 2001, pp , [Oie], (cosuted o Jue 22, 2011). 36 Op. Cit., Note Op. Cit., Note 35. page 17

18 Aother study states that i 2002, year-ods cosued $170 biio i the Uited Sates, ad that teeagers spet o average over $100 per wee (icudig spedig deegated by their parets) 38. Aready i 1997, Ifo-Presse Magazie idicated that: Les ados québécois dépeset gobaeet 1,5 iiard $ par a et ifuecet pour six iiards d'achats das eur foyer 39. I the ight of the socio-ecooic chages that have affected the faiy i recet decades, ad which we have discussed, these statistics are ot surprisig. Certaiy, the cosuer roe of iors is a reaity i today s society. But does this ea that iors have becoe expert cosuers? 2.3 Cotracts Pertaiig to Miors' Ordiary Needs Give that iors have ore ad ore oey i their pocets, they aturay cosue a ids of goods ad services. Show ticets, oie usic, cothig, restaurat eas, over-the-couter edicatios, etc. the spedig opportuities (ad icetives) are ot acig. As part of our research, we focused o certai types of cotracts etered ito by iors; traditioa ad digita edia, accordig to research we coducted i various databas ad o the Web, are ost ofte etioed. The foowig pages preset the ai issues raised by these types of cotracts, otaby regardig iors abiity to cotract ad the ways of protectig the. Those expeditures are soeties ot iportat, ecooicay or otherwise, whereas at other ties a ior s decisio to acquire a certai good or service is ore iey to etai cosequeces of varyig seriousess. Miors eed for protectio wi thus aso vary accordig to the staes ivoved i the various cotracts they eter ito. I soe cases, those staes go beyod cosuer protectio to icude such cosideratios as respect for pareta authority or the ior s psychosocia we-beig, or eve his safety. Whe iors abiity to cotract is discussed, the referece to a cotract ay ead us to beieve that the discussio is iited to situatios where iors acquire goods or services uder ters etaiig ajor obigatios, i.e., a high price. However, as expaied beow i this report, the ter abiity to cotract covers practicay a trasactios ade betwee iors ad erchats, icudig the ost beig. Legay, a chid who buys a few sweets cotracts to the sae extet as a teeager buyig a car: i both 38 SCHAEFER, Ae D., Chares M. HERMANS ad R. Stephe PARKER. A cross-cutura exporatio of ateriais i adoescets, Iteratioa Joura of Cosuer Studies, Vo. 28, No. 4, 2004, pp IfoPresse, Maretig et cosoateurise, Motrea, May 1997, o the Réseau Éducatio-édias website. [Oie] (cosuted o Jue 14, 2011). page 18

19 cases, a cotract is etered ito by a ior. The fact that the chid s cotract is verba or that specia rues appy to certai trasactios chages othig i the geera rue: i both cases a saes cotract is etered ito. The foowig graphic presets the resuts of a Aerica study 40 idetifyig iors ai ites of expediture: Graphic 1 40 EMARKETER. Socia Shoppig Draws Tees, [Oie], (cosuted o Noveber 10, 2010). page 19

20 As show by the graphic, ost purchases ade by iors are for reativey coo goods ad services. Ideed, 22% of iors purchases are for cothig ad 14% for food. Give that parets are geeray resposibe for their ior chid s utritio (so og as the atter ives i the faiy hoe, which is statisticay ost ofte the case), we ay cocude that the 14% ore specificay represets spedig o restaurat eas or other treats. We aso ote that ost of the expeditures idetified i the graphic are ot for durabe goods. Cobied expeditures to aitai the ior s appearace represet 42% of a his spedig (22% o cothig, 9% o shoes, 9% o accessories, 11% o cosetics). With regard to petty expeses, we ight assue that geera cosuer protectio issues appy ore tha issues specificay cocerig iors, give the sa scope of those cotracts, I other words, we ight beieve that the protectio of ior cosuers with regard to petty expeses wi be adequatey esured if a cosuers, a ages tae together, are equay we protected by aws goverig erchats ad cosuers. However, as we have see, certai cosuptio aspects shoud be addressed i the case of a cotract with a ior, with a particuar bias. Ideed, for a cotract to be vaid, the perso eterig ito it ust be abe to uderstad its ature. The aout or ature of daage that a ior coud suffer after eterig ito a cotract whose scope he is uabe to uderstad ot because the erchat did ot discose iportat facts or ade fase represetatios, for exape, but sipy because his co-cotractor, give his youg age, did ot have the ecessary capacity chages othig. As we wi see beow, deteriig the existece of a ijury (or, where the coo aw appies, the doctrie of ucoscioabiity) requires a aaysis of the cosuer s subjective coditios; the scietific iterature o the chid psychoogy has og recogized that the judgeet of iors regardig cosuptio is defective, whether for reasos of deveopet or sociaizatio. Those reative iabiities are the basis of the specific ega fraewor for cotracts cocuded with iors. 2.4 Cotracts That Are Particuary Probeatic for Miors I this sectio of the report, we wi exaie a few exapes of cotracts particuary iey to pose a probe for iors. Beow is our aaysis of those situatios ad, i aex, iforatio ad additioa iforatio reported by the edia The March toward Idepedece Athough ot aways sooth, the ior s progress toward idepedece is essetia. As poited out by the Justice Miister i his coets o the ew Civi code of Québec, être huai est aisi fait qu i acquiert gradueeet sciece, jugeet, aturité et sagesse MINISTÈRE DE LA JUSTICE DU QUÉBEC, Code civi du Québec : Textes, sources et coetaires, Livre I, Québec, Éditeur officie, 1992, p. 93. Cited i DELEURY, Édith ad Doiique GOUBAU. Le droit des persoes physiques, Cowasvie, Yvo Bais, 4 th editio, 2008, subsectio 473. page 20

21 The first ajor cotracts etered ito by iors are ofte reated to their arch toward idepedece. Ideed, the ega ad practica raificatios of sigig a first housig ease or buyig a car are ot the sae as those of buyig a copact disc, for exape. A 17-year-od teeager who eaves the faiy hoe has to acquire, apart fro housig, a certai uber of essetia goods ad services a car, furiture, eectricity, teecouicatio services, etc. To acquire soe of those goods, a ior ay wat to cotract a oa or use soe for of credit 42. As opposed to cotracts ivovig petty expeses, a ease, a subscriptio for residetia teephoe service, or payig for utiities (eectricity, gas) etai ajor cosequeces of which a iexperieced ior ay ot be aware whe cotractig: substatia ad recurret fees, whether fixed or additioa (og distace, for exape, a stai o the record if there is a defaut of payet (credit record, service copaies). I the case of youg peope ivig with coteats, joit or severa iabiity ay aso prove probeatic, shoud oe of the eave or ot pay his due, for exape. A popuar Quebec daiy recety reported 43 the story of a youg gir who foud hersef i a situatio she certaiy had ot foresee whe acceptig, through aivety ad iexperiece, to cotract for a service o behaf of a third party. She agreed to cotract i her ow ae a subscriptio for teephoe service at the address of a cassate she hardy ew. As the daiy reports: Éiie Deers a 17 as tout juste. À 'isu de sa ère, e août 2009, ee s'aboe chez Be, pour aider ue aie. Pas de cotrat. Pas de sigature. Huit ois pus tard, 'aie refuse de payer ue facture de 600 $. Éiie a u probèe. [ ] Éiie, de Lachute, étudiate et sas epoi, racote : Je suivais u cours avec cette fie. Ee a eviro 27 as et deux efats. Quad ee 'a dit qu'ee 'avait pas es oyes de payer e tééphoe pour appeer sa ère aade et 'a deadé de 'aider, je e suis setie a, je 'ai pas pu refuser. Je pesais qu'ee payerait. Le copte était eregistré au o d'éiie, à 'adresse de 'aie. Le teps a passé. Puis, u wee-ed, Éiie a eu u doute. Ee a tééphoé chez Be et a appris que e copte, totaisat 566 $, restait ipayé. J'ai appeé a fie, repred Éiie, ais ee 'a raccroché a ige au ez. 42 TISON, Marc. Maa! Moi aussi, je veux ue carte de crédit!, Cyberpresse, Jue 18, 2007, [Oie], (cosuted o February 2, 2011). It shoud be oted that fiacia istitutios do ot have the practice, i Caada, of issuig credit cards to iors. Bi 24, itroduced o Jue 8, 2011 i the Quebec Natioa Asseby, woud egisativey ed the possibiity for youg peope ess tha 18 years of age to have a credit card without pareta authorizatio. 43 LABROSSE, Serge. Mieure, ee se fait avoir par ue aie et par... Be, Joura de Motrea, March 27, 2010, [Oie], (cosuted o Jauary 6, 2011). page 21

22 Oce she foud out, Éiie s other s reactio was: Éiie coece tout juste das a vie et 'a pas d'expériece e affaires. Je e veux pas que so o soit teri pour ça. The coets of Iteret users o the daiy s website, i reactio to this affair, give us a idea of how the pubic perceives such a situatio. As had Éiie s other, ay were surprised that a teephoe copay woud agree to cotract with a 17-year-od teeager (we are reproducig excerpts of the coets as they were pubished): Ad: Preièreet, Be 'a pas e droit de faire des etetes avec des persoes ieures. L'epoyé de Be était au courat de 'âge de 'adoescete, car i ui a deadé so peris de coduire et sa carte d'assurace aadie. Tout à fait irresposabe de sa part, i devrait être répriadé sio cogédié pour avoir efreit a oi. Deuxièeet, vous accepteriez, vous, e tat que paret, ce gere de situatio? Si 'o cosidère que 'adoescete est aux études et 'a pas d'epoi, aors ce sera vous, e paret, qui devrez payer. Troisièeet, vous jeter a pierre rapideet à cette adoescete, qui j'e covies, a fait ue erreur de jugeet, ais qui vouais redre service à ue persoe, sebe-t-i, déuie. C'est souvet e bo Saaritai qui est péaisé. Je crois que c'est de a faute aux deux et êes je dirais au trois. Pour oi, toutes boes copagies qui acceptet es ieurs devraiet deader u coseteet d'u tuteur ajeur. Je crois que ceui qui a répodu à a jeue fie a été totaeet irresposabe d'avoir ouvert u copte à u ieur et de pus sas faire siger de cotrat a persoe. (S'i est vrai qu'i coaissait 'âge de a jeue ieure [ ]. However, others ephasized the ior s accoutabiity for her decisio to vouch for soeoe she vaguey ew: Bojour. Je e crois pas que ce soit a Be de faire ue exceptio quequoque das ce cas a. Maheureuseet, a jeue fie aurait du e parer a ses parets avat de faire u truc coe ceui-a. A 16 as, o devrait etre e esure de savoir ce qui est bie. La aiveté, c'est triste, ais c'est u fait. Be 'a pas a payer pour ca. Ou va s'arreter es cas d'exceptio et/ou es cas de ciets aveiats? page 22

23 The daiy pubished excerpts of a iterview with a copay spoesperso, who described the busiess poicy regardig iors: Noraeet, o e peret pas que des persoes sous 'âge de a ajorité siget u cotrat ou activet u copte esue. Mais das certais cas extrêes, i se peut qu'o e perette. L'exceptio évoquée serait e cas d'ue persoe qui vit seue et à qui i faut u oye de couiquer. Mais c'est vraiet rare et i faut avoir a preuve que c'est e cas, ditee 44. As we wi see, the perceptios of Iteret users are ot ecessariy accurate. As we expai i our aaysis of the Quebec ega fraewor, the rea issue i such a circustace is ot whether the copay had the right to cotract with the ior or ot, but whether the cotract is abusive (or ucoscioabe). The Iteret users way of aaysig the situatio by advocatig a restrictive approach to iors abiity to cotract is aso observed i parets we questioed, as show by the data we coected, preseted beow i this report. For the purposes of our study, this case is a iterestig iustratio, because it reveas severa aspects at the basis of our fidigs i the precedig chapter: the ior s iexperiece as justificatio for the ecessity of protectig hi, the pubic s vague perceptios of a youg perso s abiity to cotract aoe ad of the possibe cosequeces of such a cotract, ad the reativey ueasy positio of copaies o this issue. Teecouicatio services are today aog the ost coveted by youg peope, who couicate ore ad ore by ce phoe, whether vocay or through text essages. If ce phoes are ow egio aog chidre ad teeagers, it s because the ce phoe has becoe a supree sybo of idepedece i the eyes of ay teeagers: a irresistibe device for chidre ad teeagers seeig a idepedece ow avaiabe, they beieve, through a cotract ivovig othy payets. A study by Optio cosoateurs otes the syboic iportace of ce phoes: Le tééphoe ceuaire est u objet fait sur esure pour es adoescets. Repi de proesses d idépedace et de iberté, i eur peret de s évader du giro faiia et d être e cotact avec eurs ais e tout teps. Pas surpreat que, durat es derières aées, es etreprises de tééphoie ceuaire, qui avaiet d abord eu pour cibe es adutes, se sot itéressées à cette cietèe. Ees ot is sur e arché des produits susceptibes de eur paire, ees ot réaisé des pubicités destiées à es séduire, et ees ot utipié es efforts pour es fidéiser Op. Cit., Note OPTION CONSOMMATEURS, Pubicités des etreprises de tééphoie ceuaire : Des adoescets ifuecés, ais a iforés, Jue 2007, p. iii, [Oie], pdf (cosuted o Jauary 18, 2011). page 23

24 It is surprisig to hear that teecouicatios copaies woud systeaticay refuse to eter ito ce phoe service cotracts. The accout is custoariy registered i the paret s ae, ad the paret wi thus be soey resposibe i the provider s eyes 46. However, a teeager ca sti acquire a ce phoe ad the access a provider s etwor by usig prepaid cards Cosuptio of High-Ed Products I our discussio of the sociaizatio echaiss of iors as cosuers, we described the iportace of the cosuer society s effects o the ior s behaviour. So we shoud ot be surprised that iors, ie aduts, are at ties tepted by uxury goods, eve to the poit of cospicuous cosuptio. I fact, as is cooy ow, aretig capaigs push cosuers to evauate their persoa ad socia success accordig to the abiity to acquire certai goods ad services cosidered, righty or wrogy, to be prestigious. Give their iexperiece ad their soeties o-cartesia otivatios, iors ca fid it very difficut to ascertai ratioay whether the purchase of a uxury ite is truy a soud choice ad whether the expese proves reasoabe i reatio to their fiacia resources. We ight beieve that, geeray, a ior wi cosut his parets before aig such a purchase. But we woud thus be uderestiatig the desire to decare his idepedece as a otivatio for this type of purchase a idepedece that woud be aihiated by a prior request for beedictio fro pareta authority. There is the story of a father who, after earig that his daughter had ade this type of purchase, fet copeed to go to sa cais court to cace the cotract. The case of Lajeuesse v. Rosestei Chaussure Ic. 47 cocered a 15-year-od gir who had bought $640 shoes. The evidece o the record deostrates that the vedor had ot see fit to give the youg cosuer a bi, ad that the shoes i questio were too sa for her! However, the evidece does ot report the vedor s arguets for her to agree to pay such a price for shoes that did ot fit her. We ca oy specuate about the reasos that ed a 15-year-od to ae such a expesive purchase. AS the teeager was accopaied by her boyfried at the tie, we ca easiy suspect that she wated to ipress hi; the aretig essages guaratee such a resut. The court s ruig aso poited out the pressure exercised by the vedor, which was certaiy effective (sice the shoes were ot oy terriby expesive, but ot eve the right size). 46 BOUCHARD, Caroe. Mo preier ceuaire, Légitie dépese progra (Téé-Québec), Motrea, Caada. [Oie], (cosuted o Jauary 6, 2011). 47 Lajeuesse v. Rosestei Chaussure Ic., 2006 QCCQ page 24

25 What ost stries us i this affair ai to a caricature is the father s difficuty i havig the erchat cace the sae. It sees obvious that such a egregious case shoud have bee resoved sipy ad iforay without the eed to go to court. For the purpose of our research, we therefore have to as what the reasos are for such difficuty i havig a ior s rights be recogized. The issues raised by a ior s purchase of high-ed goods ca arise i other cotexts. Soe sportig goods ca cost severa thousad doars: if a 14-year-od decides, without cosutig his parets, to acquire a outai bie for $2,500, do his parets have the right to have the sae caceed if they are opposed to the purchase? The growig popuarity of soe eectroic devices, such as tabet coputers, aso begs these questios. Coud a teeager decide o his ow to buy such a product, at a cost of severa hudred doars? Are the teeager or his parets aware of the circustaces that coud eabe the to dispute the sae s vaidity? These questios deserve to be raised, because cosuig uxury, ostetatious or high-ed goods is ot aways to the ior s advatage ad is iey, give the high cost of those ites, to ivove a cosiderabe fiacia burde (curret ad future) for the ior Virtua Words ad Other Oie Gaes So far, we have discussed cosuptio issues that are ore iey to affect teeagers iors approachig the age of ajority. Accordig to our fidigs o the groud ad to edia coverage of the subject 48, there is aother issue: cotracts for the purchase of avatars or other virtua goods. Certai websites ivite chidre to create a idetity i a virtua word, where they ca pay certai gaes oie with other participats. Registratio to those websites is geeray free of charge, but the youg peope ivoved are the targets of costat soicitatio for the to buy a ids of virtua extras. Ad the bi ca icrease fast, because those sites ofte use a biig syste eabig the chid to coit aouts without ecessariy iforig his parets (or eve beig fuy aware hisef of the aouts accuuatig o the phoe bi). May such cases have attracted edia attetio. For istace, a 10-year-od gir spet, through a biig syste ad without her parets coset, the tidy su of $472 i a very short tie, by payig do oie for free CODERRE, Jea-Fraçois. Ue facture de 472 $ pour u jeu de poupée e ige, Rue Froteac, Motrea, August 1, 2010, [Oie], e-paieet-parteephoe (cosuted o Jauary 6, 2011). page 25

26 O the website VoxCoso, a foru betwee jouraists ad Iteret users that was set up by Protégez-Vous agazie, a Iteret user eve reports a case where over $900 was bied to parets for their chid s oie gaes 50. What this Iteret user reports refects we the pubic s perceptio of this type of services: J'ai u ai qui s'est fait facturer u otat de 922 $ par Voxte suite à des appes effectués à u uéro par ses efats âgés etre 8 et 11. I s'agit à a base du site Babaad (qui vise directeet es efats e très bas âge) icitat es efats à appeer à ce uéro pour avoir de a oaie virtuee. Les appes coûtet 5 $ chaque et i est possibe d'e pacer 2/iute doc iagiez a vitesse à aquee augete e copte de tééphoe! Et pas trop trop gratuit e site pour efats. C'est d'abord Aopass (copagie fraçaise) qui offre ce ode de paieet à 'expoitat du site et c'est d'aieurs sous ce o qu'apparaisset es frais. Voxte est a copagie québécoise qui se charge de facturer a copagie de tééphoe de 'aboé qui ee facture so aboé. Ah oui, j'oubiais! Sur e site de Babaad, i est aussi possibe de participer à des oteries pour gager de a oaie virtuee! Tout u jeu d'efat! [VOXCONSO] It shoud be oted that eve if the paret wi be resposibe for the bi i the ed (sice 900 bis are bied to the oca teephoe accout of the househod fro which the ca was ade), it is the chid who cotracts directy with the website i questio, sice the chid aoe accepts the site s offer. The fact that the chid cotracts with those websites raises serious questios, both because by cotractig the chid coits the resposibiity (for payig the bi) of a third party the teephoe accout hoder ad because the chid speds hudreds of doars to acquire those goods that do t exist. If the paret truy is resposibe for the actios of his ior chid, ca that resposibiity be ivoed i cases where the chid, who is ot aways od eough to uderstad that he is coittig substatia aouts to purchase virtuay othig, is to a certai extet triced by dubious aretig techiques? Fortuatey, ega echaiss exist for obtaiig a caceatio of costs coitted durig cas, as we wi expai beow. But those soewhat approxiate echaiss (regardig a services ad ot specificay their use by iors) do ot pertai at a to the issue of this type of cotract etered ito with iors Subscriptios to Paid Text Messagig Services As oted above, ce phoes are ow egio aog chidre ad teeagers. Oe of the ost popuar features of ce phoes aog youg peope is sedig ad receivig text essages, aso ow by their techica desigatio of SMS (for Short Message Service ). SMS techoogy aes it possibe to subscribe to SMS Preiu services, bied by the provider through the phoe bi ad eabig the subscriber to receive various types of essages, which ay cocer a stoc portfoio, ews, the weather, etc., or offerig horoscopes, joes, sipe 50 LYNCH, Cythia, Pubicité iteret pour efats, Vox Coso, Protégez-vous agazie, Motrea, Caada [Oie], (cosuted o Jue 7, 2011). page 26