Children are being 'datafied from birth' - BBC News
Internet giants and toy-makers should be clear about the data they collect, children's commissioner says.
The children's commissioner for England is calling on internet giants and toy-makers to be more transparent about the data they are collecting on children.

Today's children are the first to be "datafied" from birth and little thought has been given to the consequences, a report for her says.

Who Knows What about Me? calls for a statutory duty of care between social media giants and their younger users.

And it urges the government to consider strengthening data protection laws.

The report also highlights how very young children are now using toys that are connected to the internet.

These gather personal messages and information that may be insecure and open to attack from hackers, it says.

The report quotes research led by Sonia Livingstone, who describes children as the "canary in the coal mine for wider society" - the first to encounter new technology and its risks before many adults are even aware of them.

The report warns that there could be risks to young people where profiling of internet usage is utilised in areas of life where it can have deeper ramifications, such as the judicial system or the education system.

One worrying scenario it gives is if a health insurance company used information posted by a child on social media about their mental health as part of its decision on whether to issue a policy or how much to charge.

Anne Longfield, the Children's Commissioner for England, said: "We need to stop and think about what this means for children's lives now and how it may impact on their future lives as adults.

"We simply do not know what the consequences of all this information about our children will be.

"Companies that make apps, toys and other products used by children need to stop filling them with trackers and put their terms and conditions in language that children understand.

"And crucially the government needs to monitor the situation and refine data protection legislation if needed, so that children are genuinely protected - especially as technology develops."

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