CDT Study: Teens, Parents Prefer Flexible, Transparent Approaches to Social Media Safety
Teens and parents in a small sample preferred parent-led, flexible and transparent design approaches to social media safety features over stricter, one-size-fits-all policies, particularly age verification, according to a report by the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) published Wednesday.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Privacy Daily provides accurate coverage of newsworthy developments in data protection legislation, regulation, litigation, and enforcement for privacy professionals responsible for ensuring effective organizational data privacy compliance.
A total of 45 individuals from 17 households participated in the study, which examined age verification, algorithmic feed controls, screen time features and parental access. As such, the study's authors noted its qualitative value; however, they acknowledged its small sample size didn't "generate findings that are necessarily representative of the general population, which requires other types of research to test at scale."
Given the report's findings, CDT recommended policymakers “emphasize and incentivize user choice and agency online over one-size-fits-all approaches.” Considering the data privacy concerns around age verification, they should “consider less invasive and more flexible age signaling methods that would align with parents’ and teens’ needs and expectations online.”
Although a “majority of participants" were not against online age verification as a concept, they were concerned by its implementation, including concerns about "privacy, security of collected and stored data, their limited trust in platforms, and the lack of user agency -- all of which left participants uneasy.”
Many participants “expressed a strong desire for agency” and “responded more positively to verification approaches that allowed them to make informed decisions about which services a child could access,” the report said. Transparency, “especially around how their data might be accessed or shared with third parties,” was also preferred.
ID-based age verification was strongly opposed, with participants reluctant "to upload sensitive identity documents to an online service.” Face-scanning technology was “generally perceived as questionable,” with participants “skeptical” about accuracy. Instead, an approach where parents could verify the age of their children was preferred and considered “more dynamic.”
Age verification at the device level received mixed responses, with some calling it an “easy and convenient approach,” and others raising data privacy concerns. Third-party age verification raised worries of “potential threats a new actor presented to their personal data” which could lead to more “data security risks.” Still, some participants preferred this option as “viable” and “easy” compared to other methods.
Beyond age verification, most teens felt comfortable with algorithm-based social media feeds, but parents wanted more controls and transparency concerning content. Though the report found that parents and teens had concerns about screen time, teens viewed it as their responsibility to manage. Both groups viewed screen time reminders or notifications as positive tools for managing this.
While “constant parental involvement seemed like an unnecessary burden” for some teens in the research, others -- and some parents -- acknowledged that “a certain level of oversight could be helpful.” Across the board, there was agreement “that having parents take action on a teen’s behalf was a ‘big issue in communication.’”