Washington, D.C. September 21, 2023 - Pixalate’s new Director of Public Affairs Christine Rex and Director of Product Communications Emily Rollman spent Tuesday at Forum Global’s Annual Data Privacy Conference. The event played host to a cross-section of the data privacy industry including federal regulators, legislators and private industry, all gathered to discuss how upcoming laws, or, in some cases, lack of regulation affects individuals’ rights.
The expansion of social media has created a sense of urgency across stakeholders worldwide to address children’s safety online. Yet caregivers across the US would be shocked to learn that there is no law - state or federal - to regulate the design of online products, services, or features to protect children and teens. While European governments have begun to legislate data collection, our domestic government has yet to catch up. In lieu of congressional bills, states and private industry have begun to fill the gap in protecting the unwarranted data collection on children.
Maryland State Delegate Jared Solomon, a former educator turned elected official, is one of those state lawmakers proactively protecting youth by authoring the child-centric Consumer Protection - Online Products and Services - Children's Data bill, SB 0844. This bipartisan legislation limits how tech platforms collect and exploit kids’ data to push harmful and targeted information into minors’ social media feeds.
Whether Amazon’s Alexa, Fortnite or edtech software, children today have an inescapable online footprint primed for bad actors to exploit. Today 83% of parents support digital passports to validate their child’s age and relationship. Through age verification services, parents confirm their child’s ages, reducing unwarranted data collection and ensuring age-appropriate content.
Children and teens attempting to circumvent age verification encryption are not the only players in the digital age taking advantage of the legislative lag. Data brokers are also walking the line when it comes to data collection on minors. Digital platforms that employ generative AI are skirting appropriate use of minor data retention in the name of better quality outcomes for the user. Smart home devices and lifestyle automation providers are collecting and retaining aggregate data points on minors to improve their operational performance, forcing state jurisdictions to reconsider privacy policies or “notice and choice frameworks.”
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