How Social Media Channels Gather Data: What Parents Need to Know
Whether it’s Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, or online gaming, the attention of younger generations is spread far and wide across the internet, and it can be difficult for parents to keep up. With the onset of new platforms and algorithm changes, it’s more crucial than ever for parents to stay in the know on the kind of data social media apps are collecting from their kids and why.
While kids run circles around many of us in their digital savviness, it’s imperative parents take an active role in helping their children understand that misguided online activity or data sharing can quickly turn into real-life consequences.
Internet safety starts with parents understanding how social media channels work, learning what digital precautions they can take, and guiding an ongoing conversation with their kiddos around the dos and don’ts of data sharing.
Here’s a rundown of what parents need to know about social media, the data it gathers, and how to talk to their kids about protecting themselves online.
HOW AND WHY SOCIAL MEDIA APPS COLLECT DATA
Put simply, social media apps have one goal: Keep users scrolling.
The longer users scroll, the more ads they’ll see. The more ads they see, the more likely they are to get hooked by one and make a purchase.
How do you keep kids scrolling? By making a seamless user experience that incessantly feeds them content carefully tailored to their unique interests, biases, and behaviors.
Introducing: The all-powerful algorithm! Social media algorithms are careful calculations made by platforms to determine what kind of content to feed users to keep them online, engaged, and prime to receive advertising.
To make this calculation, social media channels gather the following types of data from users:
Demographic information like name, age, gender, and location
Psychographic information like clues on their interests, subjects they engage with, and types of creators they follow
Behavioral data like level of engagement with specific kinds of content, the type of content they share with friends, the times of day they open their social media apps, etc.
The cleverness and accuracy of social media algorithms are what make these channels so addicting, entertaining, and relevant. They’re crafted to keep us hooked, and they do a good job at it.
What’s important for parents to understand is social media platforms are corporations with the end goal of making a profit – not necessarily to keep your kids from harm – and legislation is still catching up with the rapidly growing influence and consequences of technology.
3 SOCIAL MEDIA TALKS TO HAVE WITH YOUR CHILD ASAP
If your child has a social media account on any platform, their activity is being observed, calculated, and used. There’s no way around it.
But there are good rules of thumb all kiddos surfing the web should keep in their back pocket that you can openly discuss with them today:
DEFINE "PERSONAL INFORMATION" AND AVOID SHARING IT
Talk with your kids about what they define as “personal information” as they might have a different idea than you, and brainstorm together the different pieces of data that are better left private from social media channels and their online friends.
This could include:
Physical and mailing addresses
Social security numbers
Highly specific medical info
School information
License plate information
Etc.
Identify and discuss with your child the types of innocent content that could easily be used to pinpoint their exact whereabouts or personal information that, when in the wrong hands, could cause real-life damage.
THE "THINK BEFORE YOU POST" DISCUSSION
Have a chat with your kids about the permanence of the internet and encourage them to think critically before they post. Once you put something on the web or in the hands of another person, it’s fair game – for better or worse.
And while you can delete regretful posts, once something hits the web, it can be difficult to remove entirely. Ensure your kids understand the risks of sharing sensitive content as this could affect their personal lives, relationships, or hirability presently or even years down the road.
THE PASSWORD REFRESH TALK
Help your kiddos set a recurring quarterly password refreshes for all their online platforms to ward off the possibility of hackers hijacking their accounts.
While you’re on the subject, caution your kids to never share their passwords, even with friends they trust as it’s never worth the risk that their info could be mishandled.
PARENTAL CONTROLS AND HOW TO UTILIZE THEM
EXPLORE BUILT-IN PARENTAL FEATURES ON APPS
Some built-in controls on many social media platforms can help parents limit screen time, filter inappropriate content, and monitor their children’s activity.
THIRD-PARTY PARENTAL CONTROL TOOLS
Third-party parental control apps like the five we talk about here provide additional monitoring, security, and filtering features to help keep your kiddo safe.
SET BOUNDARIES AND CLEAR GUIDELINES
In the ongoing conversation with your kiddos around internet activity, explore how you can establish clear boundaries for social media use, content, and screen time.
Navigating the world of social media is no piece of cake.
As apps and algorithms consistently shift, it becomes increasingly imperative that parents initiate conversations with their kiddos about internet safety, and what it means for their family, and help their children navigate the digital world safely. Open communication and an ongoing conversation are great starts.
Need a helping hand in ensuring your family’s online safety? For guidance on parental controls, privacy settings, or securing your home network, book a consultation today and rest easy tomorrow knowing your family’s digital footprint is protected.
Drop us a message here, and let’s talk through your options.
