The UK 's privacy regulator says social media platforms and video-sharing services must improve their data protection practices to enhance the safety of child users.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has suggested that many of these services do not meet the requirements set out for children's privacy in 2021.
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As a result, the regulator now wants to urge social media providers to take action to enhance child safety by doing the following:
- Ensuring that children's profiles are private by default.
- Disable settings location by default.
- Disable targeted advertising for children by default (unless there is a “compelling reason” for creating user profiles).
- Require parental consent for use of personal information of children under 13 years of age.
- Stricter age controls.
- Taking action on systems “suggestions” that encourage children to stay longer on a platform and/or create “pathways to harmful content.”
The UK Information Commissioner's Office cited Ofcom research to support its campaign. It revealed that 96% of children in the UK aged 3-17 watch videos on video- and 30% of children aged 5-7 use social media. The corresponding figures are 63% for children aged 8-11 and 97% for teenagers aged 16-17.
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“Children’s privacy should not be sacrificed on the altar of profit. The way companies design their online services and use children’s personal information has a significant impact on what young people see and experience in the digital world,” said the information commissioner, John Edwards.
“I call on social media and video sharing platforms to assess and understand the potential harms to children and take steps to address them.“.
The regulator said it continues to investigate several companies to check compliance with child protection rules. Last year it imposed a £12.7 million fine on TikTok for failing to protect children's personal data in accordance with the law.
Social media: Consequences of bad practices for children
The first and most immediate consequence is the violation of privacy children's. If children's data is not effectively protected, it may be exposed to unwanted individuals or organizations.
Furthermore, inadequate data protection can lead to abuses, such as the use of children's personal data for commercial purposes without parental consent.
See also: Children and social media: How to protect them?
Third, the lack of effective data protection from social media can increase the risk for children to become victims of cyberbullying or other forms of online abuse.
Finally, there may be long-term consequences for children's digital identity, as their data may be used by third parties and affect the image formed about them online.
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Source: www.infosecurity-magazine.com
