Your Child’s Online Privacy: An Intro

children and technology Aug 10, 2018

by editorial team and Sophia Ruan Gushée

 

A modern challenge for parents is protecting their children’s privacy online—both a child’s online reputation, and information that companies can collect about children during online interactions.

Although the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA) put parents in charge of information collected about their children online, today’s digital world has advanced dramatically since this act was enacted. While COPPA is still relevant, more should be done to protect against internet hackers and identity thieves.

Why Should You Protect Your Child’s Online Privacy

Hackers and identify thieves stalk people—including children of all ages—for their information.

Parents should educate their children about the risks associated with sharing too much personal information. They should learn from as early as is appropriate that information they share online may become public record forever. A teen who posts party pictures may regret it when applying for a scholarship or job opportunity. Employers, scouts, and colleges now routinely look at candidate’s social media pages.

At What Age Should You Be Concerned?

Parents should start thinking about their child’s online privacy as soon as the child accesses their first digital screen. Or even sooner.

The Cloudpet privacy debacle sent shockwaves of disbelief as parents learned that account information of 800,000 users was left unprotected on the internet. Private voice recordings between parents and children became public, and a whole new level of privacy awareness was born.

The VTech breach of 2015 was the fourth most massive known data breach and exposed information—including names, addresses, and passwords—of almost five million parents with a direct link to their children’s information.

Who Would Want to Hack a Child and Why?

Some Smart toys designed to learn and grow with kids had privacy issues and were prime targets for hackers. Identify thieves target children for their clean credit history and social security numbers.

How is Information and Privacy Breached Online?

There are many ways your child’s information could end up in the wrong hands. One way might be your home’s use of home assistant devices such as Amazon Alexa, Mattel Aristotle, or Google Home which are designed to collect and store data. In 2018, one family’s Echo sent a private conversation to phone contacts in the family member’s phone.

In addition to collecting identity data on your child, location-aware social media sites can reveal kid’s physical locations and put them at risk from predators. Location apps such as Find My Friends can be beneficial, but there is also a risk associated with your child broadcasting his locale to the world.

Parents and children should take care when posting the following information online.

  • Name
  • Phone Number
  • Email Address
  • Password
  • Address
  • ZipCode
  • School
  • Photos

Cyber-thieves target children and teens in chat rooms, online gaming rooms, social media and video streaming sites, or other places where teenagers are active. Kids and teens are particularly vulnerable due to their lack of knowledge of cybersecurity.

Many parents are uncomfortable offering guidance to their children’s digital lives. After all, their children are native speakers of the digital language, and many parents are barely fluent and find themselves asking their kids for guidance with technology. However, parents and kids need to collaborate to ensure the protection of privacy for both parents and children.

Stay connected with nontoxic lifestyle news and updates!

Receive our free Ruan Living Nontoxic Cleaning Guide when you join our email list.
Don't worry, your information will not be shared.

We hate SPAM. We will never sell your information, for any reason.

About Ruan Living

Ruan Living simplifies a nontoxic lifestyle through its Practical Nontoxic Living podcast, free detox workshops, online D-Tox Academy, and transformative 40-Day Home Detox. It aims to help you avoid toxic chemicals, heavy metals, and electromagnetic fields (EMFs) from what you buy, own, and do— without compromising your joy and convenience. Ruan was founded by Sophia Ruan Gushée, author of the bestselling critically acclaimed book A to Z of D-Toxing: The Ultimate Guide to Reducing Your Toxic Exposures and several detox workbooks. A graduate of Brown University and Columbia Business School, Sophia has served on the Brown University School of Public Health Advisory Council and Well+Good Council. A popular nontoxic living speaker, consultant, and teacher, Sophia lives in New York City with her husband and three daughters. Her passion for empowering others to enjoy nontoxic living began with the birth of her first daughter in 2007. Everything she creates is a love letter to her children and for the healthiest, brightest future possible. You can learn more here: Sophia’s Impact.

Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only. This information is provided “as is” without warranty.

It is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and should never be relied upon for specific medical advice. We do not offer medical advice, course of treatment, diagnosis, or any other opinion on your conditions or treatment options. To the extent that this article features the advice of physicians or medical practitioners, the views expressed are the views of the cited expert and do not necessarily represent the views of Ruan Living.

In no event will Sophia Ruan Gushee or Ruan Living be liable for any damages or loss of any kind resulting from the use of this website. Anyone relying upon or making use of the information on this website does so at his or her own risk.

Some of the services and products recommended on this website provide compensation to Sophia Ruan Gushee or Ruan Living. All recommendations are based foremost upon an honest belief that the product, service, or site will benefit our site visitors in some way.  

Detox Your Inbox

Easy tips, podcasts, workshops, updates, and more!

SIGN UP

For You

40-Day Home Detox

Book

Blog

D-Tox Academy

Engage

Podcast

Shop

Ruan Living

Our Mission

Sophia Ruan Gushée

Corporate Wellness

D-Tox Academy

Engage

Events

Press

Testimonials

Stay In Touch

[email protected]