The development of technologies is massive in this digital era. The digital landscape is being used by most teenagers, who use it to connect with their friends and share content. Social media platform is something teenagers use daily, as there is the use of such social media by teenagers, there raises the question of Privacy among teenagers

Most teenagers seem to be unaware that when using social media, they are sharing data beyond that which they input directly and on the other hand some are aware that social media companies collect their data for marketing purposes. But from this, it can be sensed that knowledge of teenage privacy is something that needs to be looked upon.

Privacy for teenager

Teenagers being active users of the digital landscape must be aware of privacy. Teenagers living their life online must be knowledgeable to understand what data privacy is and its importance so it might prevent them from falling prey to cybercrimes and data breach incidents.

Data privacy refers to how a piece of information or data should be handled depending on its significance. The concept of data privacy is applied to crucial personal statements which are also known as Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Personal Health Information (PHI). The protection of data and providing the necessary data is something that needs to be created for a healthy digital ecosystem.

Privacy — why it matters?

When teenagers are showing their online presence in the digital landscape, social media platform companies collect the data of the user, some collect with their knowledge and some without the knowledge of the users.

Most teenagers do not read the terms and conditions of the platform, the cookie consent, and the Privacy policy, and there occurs a situation where teenage privacy is in danger. If this is the case then the teenage users won’t be aware of the type of data collected from them, the purpose for which it is collected, and usage of the collected data. This results in a potential risk to the privacy and data security of the teenagers, since in the case of breach incidents, or cyber security incidents, the data of the teenagers are in danger, where they can be sold and can result in cybersecurity incidents like identity theft, etc.,

Laws governing Privacy

Various laws govern the privacy among teenager, which includes the following,

When it comes to India, there are various laws like The Information Technology Act, of 2000, the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act of 2015, and the Draft Data Protection Bill, of 2021. These laws contain provisions for the protection of children’s data.

When it comes to the international level, there are various laws like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Cyber Protection of Children’s Personal Information, and Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) all these laws deal with the provisions regarding the protection of the children’s data and the importance of consent and parental consent.

Privacy for teenagers is provided by the above-mentioned laws.

In the Survey conducted by Tsaaro, it was found that 74% of the teenagers felt that there is a need for new privacy laws, so enacting strong legal provisions or laws pertaining to privacy is something that needs to be enacted for the protection of the data of teenagers.

Suggestions for improvement

The concern about data privacy is something that is growing and needs to be given great attention.

Enacting laws on a global level — there must be strong regulatory frameworks to govern the privacy of teenagers.

Knowledge of privacy — since teenagers are the vulnerable group who use digital platforms daily must be taught about the importance of data privacy

Transparency of the social media companies –social media companies must be transparent enough to state the type of data collected, their purpose of collection, and their usage.

Teenagers must be taught about the risks involved while using the digital landscape to engage themselves in a healthy digital ecosystem.

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