Many children are aware of privacy issues and take a strong stance against the various violations of their privacy by commercial companies, institutions, strangers, and parents. Children who recognize privacy as an important right in the digital environment see that this right is threatened by digital technologies.
Nepal, girl, 13: Nowadays, in the digital age, people are losing... their personal privacy.
Brazil, girl, 13: On the internet, people share their information... That can be dangerous if a person with bad intentions has access to it.
Canada, girl, 15: It's about identity theft, stalkers, employers checking your data, blackmail, all kinds of things.
Canada, girl, 15: Why shouldn't you be concerned? Think about it. You get social media for free, but the companies that own these platforms are rolling in money. Surely there's a reason for their income, and it's most likely related to what they do with our data.
5.1 Data protection vis-à-vis commercial providers
Children's concerns about their privacy in relation to commercial offers mainly focus on social media, apps, and websites. Some children say that they are aware that companies collect their data because they recognize that certain advertisements and other content are based on algorithms.
Canada, girl, 18: I am concerned about my data being shared because, despite having privacy settings enabled, I can see my preferences in advertisements and often receive spam emails because my email address is being shared.
Canada, boy, 14: You shouldn't completely trust large companies because they could easily sell your data.
Norway, girl, 17: It's a bit scary to think about why free apps have so much money. I also wonder about their motivation for making a free app. Maybe they sell my pictures, data, etc.
Philippines, girl, age unknown: Just because I can use social media for free... [social media companies shouldn't be able to] use my data for free too. My personal data is still my privacy.
Brazil, girl, 14 years old: The goal of advertisers... was never to preserve or improve people's lives, but to get rich and gain control.
Children want commercial companies to be much more transparent about how data is collected, stored, and used. They also want more control over how this happens. Although children accept that they themselves should take some responsibility for protecting their privacy, they say that the responsibility for protecting their privacy in the digital environment lies with governments and technology companies. Half of the children who discussed the need to protect their privacy say they had little or no formal opportunities to learn how to protect their personal data online.
Ghana, gender and age unknown: [I need to learn more about] safety and protection... but I don't have a teacher [who can teach me].
Portugal, boy, 15: No one has ever told me what the best techniques are for protecting my data.
Children, especially those in high-income countries, want governments to enact laws or regulate how companies can access and use their data.
United Kingdom, boy, 15: More laws, especially for those under 18; people should have a choice about what is stored.
Canada, girl, 15: I would change the law about what companies are allowed to collect and share and what they are not.
New Zealand, girl, 16: I would... change the laws [to ensure] that companies do not have the power to use and share people's personal data without their consent.
Children around the world are demanding that commercial companies disclose how they collect, store, and use children's data. Children want guarantees that they will not be subject to commercial exploitation. Many are therefore calling on governments to enact laws to protect their data and prevent the online monitoring of children by industry.
United Arab Emirates, girl, 17: Governments will protect important information about the country. Companies will protect data about the company or how much income they make.
5.2 Privacy vis-à-vis government institutions
Children tend to trust governments far more than commercial institutions when it comes to data collection, as they believe that governments are more transparent about what information they collect. However, in low-, middle-, and high-income countries, some children report concerns that governments collect and use sensitive information, particularly biometric data.
New Zealand, boy, 17: Governments are more transparent about what they collect.
Romania, girl, 16: [Governments] will [use] the data collected with ... biometric surveillance technologies without people's consent.
Children feel more comfortable with data collection by the government than by private companies or parents, but they want more transparency about what data governments collect and why.
5.3 Security
Children also express concerns about hackers and other third parties who could steal their identities. Some only post limited information about themselves online due to security concerns.
Pakistan, girl, 12: In this digital age, cybercrime is very common, and the most common cybercrime of all is identity theft through the creation of a fake profile.
Chile, group response: It is our right to have a name. On Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, you are asked for your name/false identity – someone can find information about you on the internet and hurt you.