Growing Up Watched: How Children’s Data Is Collected, Used, and Exploited in the Digital Age
Have you ever thought “Just 10 more minutes of YouTube Kids/TikTok to her/him, so that I can finish making dinner/ have a rest.” Many parents do this. They use screens to keep children quiet for a short time, so they can take a break. But what if that “harmless 10 minutes” is really a free-for-all for collecting data? Every time your kid clicks a video, stops to laugh, or skips something boring, the app records that action. Then it looks at the action and turns it into a profile. The platform then uses this to keep them constantly scrolling, watching, and unable to stop.
Kids today grow up in a world where being online is not a choice. It is just part of everyday life. They watch videos on YouTube, they scroll through TikTok, they play online games and they even use learning apps at school. Children always use various digital platforms. These technologies are indeed interesting and can help children learn and communicate with friends. However, they also have hidden costs, namely the continuous collection and use of children’s data. Big data makes life more convenient, but at the same time, it also secretly infringes upon children’s privacy by using the collected data.
From Play to Data: Understanding Children’s Datafication
On the surface, it seems that children’s use of digital platforms does not cause any harm. They use smart devices to watch cartoons, play games or browse learning materials. However, behind these simple activities lies a complex process that we call datafication. This means converting the children’s online activities into digital and factual information that can be used by computer programs (Mayer-Schönberger & Cukier, 2013). Dataization may sound complicated, but it is actually quite simple. It means that everything a child does online will become data that can be utilized by programs. Every click, pause, swipe, and interaction becomes data. For children, this includes not only what they watch, but how long they watch it, and how they feel. The platform uses this data to create a detailed profile of each child’s behavior. Then, they can predict what the child likes and show them more of the same type of content.Therefore, when you notice that your child is addicted to screens, there is no doubt that big data is collecting their information in order to push them content that they like. Because the platform needs to make money by using this data, its design purpose is to keep children spending as much time as possible on the screen. The longer the screen is used, the more advertisements there will be, and the platform can earn more money. As Stoilova et al. (2020) have pointed out, children are not only users of digital media, but also the subjects of data practices, yet they often do not understand these data practices. Compared with adults, children usually cannot comprehend the operation mode of data collection. So they are more at risk in systems driven by data.
Hidden mechanism: Privacy infringement in data collection
Converting behaviors into data requires a large amount of data collection. Platforms do not merely collect basic information. It will also collect data on what the children do, what devices they use, where they are, what they watch, and what they have done before. From the perspective of digital rights, this has raised significant concerns about agreements and control. Platforms typically require users to agree to various terms and rules. But these agreements are usually long, hard to read, and hard to understand. So when a user agrees, it is often not a real agreement. Zuboff (2021) refers to this system as “making money by observing users”. In this system, user data is regarded as a valuable resource, which is used to predict and modify user behaviors. For kids, this brings up moral questions. Can kids truly agree to data collection? And should their data be used for business at all? Kids are not like adults, their brains are not fully grown. So they are unable to comprehend the lengthy privacy regulations, nor can they “truly consent” to their data being collected. Just think, if you ask a 7-year-old, “Can we track every video you watch, where you are, and how you feel, so we can show you more videos, okay?” They might say “Yes,” because they just want to watch the next cartoon. That wasn’t an agreement, it was exploiting their naivety. And that’s exactly what is happening right now.
In recent years, experts and government agencies have been issuing warnings. For instance, researchers Mascheroni and Siibak (2021) explained that the data collected from children will follow them throughout their growth. It will affect their future school, jobs, and even how they are treated online. Another study points out that the whole reason platforms are built is not to protect kids. It is to make money. That is why the “child mode” often feels like a band-aid. It may block some bad content, but it cannot stop data collection. It may block some bad content, but it cannot prevent data collection. It is like putting a sticker on a leaking pipe that you can not see the problem, but the problem still exists (Ito et al., 2023).
YouTube Kids: The “Child-Safe” Lie
YouTube Kids is marketed as a “safe” option for children – of course, it does have many cute educational videos. But behind the scenes, it has been collecting children’s data for years, even after being fined, and it has not stopped. As early as 2019, Google which is the parent company of YouTube was fined $170 million for tracking children under the age of 13 without the permission of their parents. You might think they would stop now? Wrong. In 2025, they were sued again because they were still using cookies and device identifiers to track children – all for showing them more advertisements. Although the final outcome was a settlement of 30 million dollars. In Australia, the electronic security officer discovered that 68% of children aged 8 to 12 use YouTube without a child account and usually through their parents’ mobile phones in 2025. This means that their data is collected in the same way as that of adults, even though they are still children. And what about those “harmless” educational videos? 70% of them contain hidden trackers that collect data without anyone’s knowledge.
Moreover, children are often unable to distinguish between content and advertising.The precise advertising based on behavioral data blurs the boundary between entertainment and marketing. This means that children’s data is not only collected but also monetised. When platforms are built to keep kids watching and to make money, kids’ best interests may not come first.
TikTok: Addiction by Design
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TikTok is very popular with young users, even though the platform says there is an age limit. Its recommendation algorithm is highly attractive and it is very good at grabbing users’ attention. But TikTok’s system needs a lot of behavior data. Its program can quickly learn what users like. Then it keeps showing them more of the same kind of content. For children, this means that what they see not only shows what they like, but also changes what they like. This brings up questions about choice. Are kids choosing the content on their own? Or is the program guiding them?
In 2025, Tiktok was sued because it was found to have its algorithm to make children addicted by collecting information of keystroke logos, location data, and even clipboard contents. The EU also conducted an investigation into this matter and found that TikTok’s recommendation page not only collects data for making recommendations but also creates an “information cocoon” for children. As Pasquale (2015) argues that in the information age, search engines can accurately answer the questions posed by collecting a large amount of data. This means that platforms can create a closed environment that confines the children within it, preventing them from receiving more and more comprehensive information.
According to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (2026) in Australia, one quarter of children aged 8 to 15 claim that they have noticed TikTok tracking them without their permission. The privacy settings are extremely difficult to find and even adults have trouble locating them – let alone a 10-year-old. Moreover, TikTok uses “invisible pixels” to track children across apps, building detailed profiles and selling them to advertisers.
The Big Problem: It’s All On Purpose
The worst part is that none of this was an accident. The platform was fully aware of what it was doing. For them, the fines were just operating costs. Google and TikTok earn billions of dollars each year, so a few million dollars in fines is nothing. However, they chose to prioritize profits over children’s privacy, which is unacceptable.
Why can children’s privacy not be protected? It is not because parents have not done enough, but because the system is broken. Regarding this, there are mainly three reasons:
1.“All agree” is just a joke for children.
Before using each application, a large number of consent terms are presented, and you must agree to them in order to use it. For children, this is meaningless. They will not read the privacy policy, even if they do, they won’t understand it. In fact, adults will not read this platform either. So they hide data collection in small print and call it “agree”. This is not consent, it is coercion. Either you agree to track your child’s information or you can not even look at the screen. This is not a choice at all.
2. The algorithm is like a “black box”.
The platform calls their algorithms “commercial secrets”, which means they will not tell us how they collect data or why they recommend certain videos. It is like a magic trick. We see the result, but we do not see what happens behind the curtain. This implies that we can not hold them accountable. If we do not know what they are doing, how can we stop them?
3. The imposed fine is “air”.
Compared to the benefits derived from obtaining this information and protecting privacy, the fines these companies have to pay are like a cloud of air. In the face of such huge revenue incentives, the fines stipulated by existing regulations are still too small.
What can we do?
1. Demand “privacy by default”.
The platform should only collect the necessary data required for its operation. For YouTube Kids, this merely involves knowing which video the child is watching, rather than their location, key-press records, or emotions. If the platform intends to collect additional data for advertising purposes, they should clearly inform users instead of hiding it in small print. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (2026) is formulating a new guideline which will be incorporated into the law.
2.Hit platforms where it hurts: Their wallets.
The fine should be a certain percentage of the platform’s global revenue, rather than a small fixed amount. Especially for multinational companies, if Google or TikTok were fined 10% of their annual revenue, they would reconsider whether to violate the rules. Moreover, the executives should bear personal responsibility and cannot hide behind the company anymore.
3.Teach children to understand data.
We don’t need to scare them, but we should explain to them what the data is. Use simple words, such as: “Each time you watch a video, the application remembers it and then shows you more similar videos.” Children are smarter than we think. They just need to know what is happening. As Livingstone and Third (2017) argue that children’s digital rights should not only involve protection but also include participation and autonomy. This means not only restricting data collection, but also helping children understand and control their digital environment.
Conclusion
Children are very vulnerable in the digital world, and they are also one of the most data-driven groups. Digital technology has brought many benefits, but it has also brought risks.To understand children’s data, we need to recognize that it is not neutral. It influences behavior, opportunities and identity. Protecting children’s privacy is not only to reduce harm, but also to ensure that they can grow up in an environment free from continuous tracking and control. This is not about prohibiting the use of electronic screens, rather, it is about setting higher standards and rules for businesses to protect children.We do not need to choose between letting children have fun and keeping them safe. We can have both if we try.
Reference list:
eSafety Commissioner. (2025). Behind the screen: The reality of age assurance and social media access for young Australians. https://www.esafety.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-02/Behind-the-screen-transparency-report-Feb2025.pdf?v=1772890419356
Ito, M., Cross, R., Dinakar, K., & Odgers, C. (2023). Algorithmic Rights and Protections for Children. The MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/13654.001.0001
Livingstone, S., & Third, A. (2017). Children and young people’s rights in the digital age: An emerging agenda. New Media & Society, 19(5), 657–670. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444816686318
Mayer-Schönberger, V., & Cukier, K. (2013). Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think (First Mariner books edition.). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Mascheroni, G., & Siibak, A. (2021). Datafied childhoods : data practices and imaginaries in children’s lives. Peter Lang Publishing, Incorporated.
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. (2026). Privacy (Children’s Online Privacy) Code 2026 (Exposure Draft). https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-registers/privacy-codes/childrens-online-privacy-code
Pasquale, F. (2015).The hidden logics of search. In The Black Box Society: The Secret Algorithms That Control Money and Information (pp. 59–100). Harvard University Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt13x0hch.5
Stoilova, M., Livingstone, S., & Nandagiri, R. (2020). Digital by Default: Children’s Capacity to Understand and Manage Online Data and Privacy. Media and Communication (Lisboa), 8(4), 197–207. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v8i4.3407
Zuboff, S. (2021). The age of surveillance capitalism : the fight for a human future at the new frontier of power (First Trade Paperback Edition.). PublicAffairs.
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