Remote learning is great, but what about the digital privacy of children?
Digital learning became paramount during the pandemic, but it also exposed children to a spectrum of risks arising from a lack of platform regulation.
Aiza Abid is a graduate student at the Max Bell School of Public Policy and a passionate advocate for children’s rights. She has devoted her life to helping young people realize their rights and freedoms through teaching peace, justice and healing.
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DESPITE YEARS OF WARNINGS from child development experts on the far-reaching implications of too much screen-time, the necessity to adopt remote learning came with an almost simultaneous shift in the narrative: children who were once recognized as the most vulnerable members of society were now being celebrated as the most resilient. While digital tools are powerful learning assets for imparting knowledge and education, the complex and rapidly evolving nature of the digital environment has posed a challenge for children and parents alike. Parents and caregivers who are typically responsible for enabling their children’s interactions with technology have seemingly less control over the content their children are exposed to. A lack of platform regulation, age-based guidelines, and minimal restrictions on data collection are among the factors exposing children to a spectrum of risks. The question that arises in this backdrop is how can we create safer online platforms that actively reduce harm and ensure children become responsible and competent users of digital technology?
Digital privacy and consent legislation like the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and Bill C-11, the Consumer Privacy Protection Act (CPPA) exist in Canada yet, the country is not forthcoming on the issue of maintaining children’s privacy online. As an advocate for children’s rights, I know that if the rights of children are not explicitly stated, they are often overlooked—the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child was developed to address this exact issue. The global policy landscape provides far more insight into the promise and peril of technology for children. Adopted in May of last year, the OECD Recommendation on Children in the Digital Environment lays out the benefits and drawbacks of the digital space to help governments from OECD countries around the world to develop and adopt clear policy objectives to protect children online. This framework indicates that there is growing recognition of the need to address children’s safety and privacy online. Given the increase in screen time during the pandemic, key priority areas for tech policies that affect the youngest members of our society should include age-based guidelines to privacy and data security, investments in digital literacy and meaningful engagement with young people.
Accessing most online platforms requires simply checking a box. The user does not need to understand the terms of service to accept them. Tech platforms are largely dismissive of the harmful impact that this simple feature can have on a child’s online experience. Inadvertently agreeing to these terms should not subject children to the same privacy and data collection standards as their adult counterparts, yet their data continues to be collected at an alarming rate. Children today are growing up in a world where technology is a fundamental part of daily life. As such, guidelines must be in place where it is possible to ensure that when online, children can navigate the internet safely and responsibly. This includes having a fundamental, age-appropriate understanding of when their personal data is activated and collected through easy-to-read terms of service and other similar means. This may pose a challenge for platforms—new guidelines would mean that online services would have to accurately distinguish children from adults, without requesting more personal data from the individual. Simplifying the terms of service to offer transparency and real choice is the first step.
With choice comes responsibility. Digital literacy can help ensure that children, parents, and educators make the best decisions online. However, the CSA (Canadian Standards Association) Group, a global standards development organization, suggests that in comparison to countries like the UK, Canada is limited in its data, research and funding for digital literacy and children’s online safety. Prioritizing and investing in digital literacy curricula can help ensure that children start off on an equal playing field—that is, no child is more vulnerable to risk or harm because of extenuating circumstances, bias or discrimination. But many existing curricula remain limited in scope. According to the OECD, lesson plans should detail risks according to age, insight into privacy, data collection and use, terms of service, misinformation and disinformation, and how to flag and report content. Other important yet often neglected topics include addressing underage social media usage, combating online child sexual exploitation, and understanding the social-emotional components of internet use. In an increasingly digital world, digital literacy should not strive to make children fear the internet, rather make them feel empowered to make the best decisions online. Similar curricula should be made available for parents and educators to implement child safeguarding policies and practices. Regularly monitoring the progress of these measures is an important accountability tool for all stakeholders involved.
Children in the digital age are not absent-minded consumers of content, they are active agents of change. However, it is our duty to ensure that their need for protection is not being overshadowed by their innate capacity for resilience. As more and more aspects of their daily lives move online, empowering children with the skills to use the internet safely is a critical line of defence. All children and adults must understand the underlying risks of the digital environment in order to reap the benefits. To do so, we must work alongside young people in the creation of age-appropriate guidelines, adoption of digital literacy skills and the shaping of all decisions that affect their lives, both online and offline.
The Bell is edited by Jaclyn Victor, Jason Kreutz, Shweta Menon and Phaedra de Saint-Rome of the Max Bell School of Public Policy at McGill University.