The privacy regulator of the United Kingdom states that the social media platforms and video sharing services need to improve their data protection practices, for the strengthening of the Security of children users.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) suggested that many of these services do not meet the requirements that were set for child confidentiality in the 2021.
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As a result, the regulator now wants to Urges the providers social media take action to enhance child safety by doing the following:
- Ensuring that the children's profiles are private by default.
- Disable settings site by default.
- Deactivation of targeted ads for children by default (unless there is a "compelling reason" to create a user profile).
- Requirement parental consent for using personal data of children under 13 years of age.
- More stringent controls on the Age.
- Adoption of measures relating to systems "Suggestions." encouraging children to stay longer on a platform and/or to create "pathways to harmful content“.
The UK Information Commissioner's Office relied on Ofcom's investigation to support its campaign. It revealed that 96% of UK children aged 3-17 watch videos on sharing platforms Video and 30% of children aged 5-7 years use social media. The corresponding figures are 63% for children aged 8-11 years and 97% for teenagers aged 16-17 years.
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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 have important impact on what young people see and experience in the digital world", said the information commissioner, John Edwards.
“I call on social media and sharing platforms Video assess and understand the potential harm to children and take measures to address it“.
The regulator said it is still investigating several companies to check compliance with child protection rules. Last year it fined TikTok £12.7 million 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 of children. If children's data is not effectively protected, it may be exposed to unwanted individuals or organisations.
In addition, 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 of Risk for children to fall 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 may affect the image of them in the internet.
Source : www.infosecurity-magazine.com
