Bethany Alvaro 
Fresh data from the Alannah & Madeline Foundation (AMF) reported that eight in 10 parents believe that responsibility for children’s data protection falls on the Australian government. An additional 76 per cent of respondents believe that fines for companies that fail to meet these standards should be enforced.
The research, which was conducted before the social media age restrictions applied, surveyed parents of primary-school-aged children, with clear trends highlighting trust in tech companies going on a steep downward spiral.
“With digital devices playing a significant role across so many aspects of our lives, parents are under immense pressure to allow their children to be online for education and social connection, but many feel uninformed about how to do this while protecting their privacy,” said Dr Jessie Mitchell, advocacy manager at the AMF.
“The message from Australian families is loud and clear: the days of expecting tech giants to mark their own homework are over.”
With only 28 per cent of parents believing the tech companies should be the enforcer of data protection, fingers are being pointed at the government to take action.
“Parents do not trust these companies to act in the best interests of children, and they are looking to the government to enforce a safety net,” Mitchell said.
The report found that 72 per cent of parents believe children’s accounts should automatically be privacy-protected at the highest level, with an additional 65 per cent supporting the ability to check what data is held on their children, and having the option to change or delete it entirely.
Ariana Kurzeme, director of policy and prevention at AMF, said legislators and government representatives must be doing more to protect children’s data and implement proposed law reform.
“The report shows that while awareness of the proposed Children’s Online Privacy Code is currently low, once parents understand the concept, support is overwhelmingly high,” Kurzeme said.
“This school year, we are calling on the policymakers to listen to families. We need enforceable standards that ensure technology is designed with the best interests of children as the primary priority – not profit.”