Commissioner warns against danger of 'datafying' children

Parents and children must understand how and why data is being collected by toy-makers

Technology giants and toy makers must be more transparent about the data they collect from children, a report from the Children's Commissioner for England has warned.

‘Who Knows What about Me?' says that today's children are the first to be ‘datafied' from birth, with little thought given to the risks of them being exposed to data-gathering services and sharing their information on social media.

The report estimates that children between the ages of 11 and 16 post to social media an average of 26 times a day; and their parents will have shared 1,300 photos and videos of them by the time they are 13 years old - putting them at risk of profiling by both criminals and companies.

The report recommends that schools begin teaching children about internet safety, and the Government consider strengthening data protection legislation beyond the remit of the GDPR.

"Children are often shocked to learn just how information and data is collected about them as they grow up, from the information stored by new gadgets like Alexa to data held by their schools," said Children's Commissioner Anne Longfield.

"We need to make sure that they can make informed choices about the data they are giving away and that their parents know who knows what about their kids. The Government must urgently refine data protection legislation if GDPR does not prove up to the job."

There have been several warnings about internet-connected toys in recent years; in one case, a line of toys was found to be storing voice recordings with no protection. Longfield said that she wants all manufacturers and large internet firms being transparent about how they are capturing and using the data that they collect, as well as "a statutory duty of care between the social media giants and their younger users."

The British Toy and Hobby Association attempted to waylay concerns, saying, "Whilst it is estimated that only one-to-two per cent of the UK toy industry consists of connected toys, the BTHA's members limit the amount of personal data collected, using closed loop systems where possible. When data is collected, this is done to enhance the play experience, for example remembering the level of the game the child has reached and is collected lawfully and safely...

"Furthermore, the BTHA released a connected toy guide to all its members in 2017 on best practices and engages with the ICO and the Government's cybersecurity team on data and security measures."