Children’s online time should be public health issue, says report
SnapChat streaks is among the features criticised by a report from the 5Rights Foundation.
Children and young people are being encouraged to spend longer online by “persuasive design” which should be considered a public health issue, a new report claims.
The tactic, which encourages the extended use of apps and websites, is used to collect children’s data for commercial gain, but it has an impact on the child’s social, mental and physical development, according to The Disrupted Childhood Report.
The report, released today by the 5Rights Foundation, which advocates for children online, says unless action is taken the “creativity and development of a generation” is in danger of being stunted and sets out 24 recommendations to combat the problems experienced.
The publication comes as the amount of time children spend on devices is already under scrutiny.
At the E3 video gaming conference in Los Angeles earlier this week, discussions focused on whether it was the responsibility of developers or parents to moderate consumption.
Baroness Kidron, founder and chair of 5Rights Foundation, said: “The unfettered use of persuasive design practices is a symbol of the tech sector’s cavalier disregard for childhood. Children urgently need a better deal.
“It is hard to overestimate the importance of digital devices in a child’s life, but there must be a balance between what technology gives young people and what it takes away.”
