Online safety alert: Parents urged to treat privacy like ‘stranger danger’
21 percent of parents have never discussed the subject of privacy with their children
The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is urging parents to prioritize online privacy with the same urgency as road safety or stranger danger.
According to recent ICO research involving 1,000 UK parents of children aged 4 to 11, there is a significant privacy gap in the digital world.
Three in four parents fear that their children do not have the right judgement to make the choices regarding online privacy. Roughly 35 percent of parents believe their children would willingly trade personal information for digital perks, such as game tokens or in-app rewards.
According to the survey's findings, 22 and 24 percent of children are found to share personal data such as health details and residence information respectively with AI tools.
Given the grave risks posed by the treacherous digital landscape, the UK’s data protection regulator has launched a campaign, equipping children with basic understanding of how to protect their personal information online.
“Online privacy includes children’s name, age, and where they live but also less obvious information like their browsing history, purchases, photos, voice notes and social media or gaming activity”, the ICO said.
In this campaign, ICO instructed people to treat online privacy as a basic life skill. The parents should teach their children about the basics of online privacy, equating it as “natural as teaching a child to cross the road.”
Risks posed by online space
The regulator said, “A single click could unveil friendships, interests, moods and even sleep patterns, creating a digital footprint that can last forever – or even be exploited by people with bad intentions.”
According to Emily Keaney, ICO deputy commissioner, although the internet offers a lot of opportunities, when left unregulated it can pose severe risks to children.
In real-life parents advise their children not to share any personal details with strangers, in the same way, the children should be taught about the dangers of the digital world.
“We know that where children’s details, like their name, interests and pictures, aren’t protected, the potential risks are serious: unwanted contact from strangers, grooming and radicalisation,” Keaney added.
Online safety: least discussed issue
When it comes to protecting children from menaces of the digital landscape, the more focus is placed on screen time.
Research from the ICO highlights a significant gap in digital parenting: online privacy remains one of the least addressed safety topics.
As per findings, 21 percent of parents have never discussed the subject of privacy with their children. Only 38 percent of parents discuss the issue less than once a month.
Dame Rachel de Souza, children’s commissioner for England, said, “We all have a role to play in protecting children from these dangers….it is important that parents feel confident having early, everyday conversations with children about the risks of being online and how to respond if something makes them uncomfortable.”
