The paper examines the existing approaches to privacy in modern psychology. Basic directions of studying privacy and protection of personal data in the online environment through various scientific approaches are analyzed. Protection of personal data being one of privacy kinds is deemed as a relevant issue of safety of today’s children and adolescents, i.e. Internet users. Based on population studies data and content analysis of social networking the ratio of Russian children and adolescents to personal data is analyzed, the problems arising from its misuse, and also parents’ attitudes to this issue and the possibility of their assistance to their children in the protection of personal data are emphasized. 

The research shows that at least one-third of Russian adolescents make a group of risk and may be affected by the risks posed by careless handling of personal information, because these children do not always respect the principle of confidentiality in respect of passwords; they establish open access to a personal page, allowing access to any registered user; personal profile specifies a set of personal information about themselves to the maximum extent; they are willing to share personal information with strangers; to no one to seek help on issues related to privacy settings in the Network. 

The results show that not only the children but also their parents greatly underestimate the hidden dangers of careless use and storage of personal data on the Internet. 

Russian schoolchildren have developed a commonly shared digital generation outlook but they still preserve different look at privacy in general and personal data in particular. Education of children and adolescents safety is emphasized to be a priority for parents and schools within the framework of promoting a culture of Internet use.