Media Representation of Children’s Privacy in the Context of the Use of “Smart” Toys and Commercial Data Collection

Authors

  • Christine W. Trueltzsch-Wijnen Salzburg University of Education Stefan Zweig
  • Tijana Milosevic University of Oslo
  • Charles Mifsud University of Malta
  • Patricia Dias Catholic University of Portugal

Keywords:

internet of things, privacy, commercial data collection, children’s rights

Abstract

The growing use of “smart” toys has made it increasingly important to understand the various privacy implications of their use by children and families. The article is a case study of how the risks to young children's privacy, posed by the commercial data collection of producers of “smart” toys, were represented in the media. Relying on a content analysis of media coverage in twelve European countries and Australia collected during the Christmas season of 2016/2017, and reporting on a follow-up study in selected countries during the Christmas season of 2017/2018, our article illustrates how the issue of children's privacy risks was dealt with in a superficial manner, leaving relevant stakeholders without substantive information about the issue; and with minimum representation of children’s voices in the coverage itself.

Author Biographies

Tijana Milosevic, University of Oslo

Tijana Milosevic is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Media and Communication at the University of Oslo, Norway and a member of the EU Kids Online research network. She has just completed a book on social media companies’ cyberbullying policies for The MIT Press Information Society Series where she analyzes anti-abuse enforcement mechanisms of companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Ask.fm and Snapchat, among many others. The book examines the implications of privatized policy for children’s rights and civil liberties and what it takes to create a culture of dignity. Tijana completed her PhD in Communication at American University in Washington DC and holds an MA in Media and Public Affairs from The George Washington University. Her studies have appeared in the Journal of Children & Media, New Media & Society, International Journal of Communication (forthcoming) and Public Understanding of Science.

Charles Mifsud, University of Malta

Prof Charles Mifsud is a Professor in Education and Literacy and Director of the Centre for Literacy at the University of Malta. He has published in Research Papers in Education, Computers & Education, and the Journal of Education for Teaching. He is also actively involved in the running of early and family literacy programmes through the National Literacy Agency of Malta.

Patricia Dias, Catholic University of Portugal

Patricia Dias is an assistant professor at the Catholic University of Portugal, School of Human Sciences. She is also a researcher at the Research Centre for Communication and Culture. Patricia has recently been awarded a grant to develop a research project on digital media, multi-screening and attention distribution

Downloads

Published

2019-03-26

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 18 (2018)

Section

Articles

License

The author (or authors) is the copyright holder and retains publishing rights. Medijske studije journal is under the CC (Creative Commons) licence.

CC BY-NC-ND