The Information Commissioner’s Office has set out its priorities for protecting children’s personal information online for the next year
Social media sites have been told to do more to protect children’s privacy online by the UK’s data protection regulator.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has outlined its plans for the next year to safeguard childrens’ personal information on the internet, focusing on location data, targeted adverts, recommendation algorithms, and the use of data from under-13s. Information Commissioner John Edwards said that while there has been progress since the introduction in 2021 of the children’s code of practice which guides platforms on how to protect the data of children some areas still need work, including those named as priorities for the coming year.
“Children’s privacy must not be traded in the chase for profit. How companies design their online services and use children’s personal information have a significant impact on what young people see and experience in the digital world,” Mr Edwards said.
“Seven out of 10 children told us that they trust our children’s code to make the internet better and safer for them. That’s why our determination to ensure online services are privacy-friendly for children is stronger than ever. I’m calling on social media and video-sharing platforms to assess and understand the potential data harms to children on their platforms, and to take steps to mitigate them.”
The ICO has announced its strategy for children’s code for the next year. It plans to make sure online services keep children’s profiles private by default and turn off geolocation settings. The regulator also wants platforms to stop targeted advertising as a default setting and will work with them to look at how recommendation algorithms are used for young users.
The ICO will also check how services use age assurance technologies and get parental consent for using information about kids under 13. This news comes as the Information Commissioner goes to the IAPP Global Privacy Summit in Washington DC.
He will also visit Seattle and San Francisco to talk to tech firms and AI developers, and remind them of the ICO’s rules about child privacy and new technologies like generative AI.
“Children’s privacy is a global concern, and businesses around the world need to take steps to ensure children’s personal information is used appropriately so it doesn’t leave them exposed to online harms,” Mr Edwards said. “This week I will be meeting with international regulators and online services to encourage stronger digital protections for children.”
