My 2-year old son knows how to unlock my iPhone and use Snapchat without my help. My 23-year old sister is a marketing apprentice for the Cleveland Play House and writes content for their social media outlets. My 55-year old mother helped her sisters change their privacy settings on Facebook. My 83-year old grandmother uses Facebook to see family photos and play Words with Friends. I know people from age 2-83 who use social media and each of them knows something (or nothing) about privacy on social media.
In a recent article by Nischala Kaushink, she asks who is going to teach generation x and y about what not to do on social media? It is clear that a 2-year old knows nothing about what not to do on social media when playing with a smart phone or tablet. An elderly grandmother knows about the same as a toddler, despite their vast knowledge outside the digital word. Those born after 1980 are known as millennials, and we must take responsibility and watch our young children while they use phones and tablets and take the time to adjust our grandmother's privacy settings. We must help protect their privacy because they cannot help themselves.
We must understand the facts that, today, 38% of children under 2 have used a mobile device for media compared to 10% two years ago and in just one year social networking use among those ages 65 and older grew 100%–from 13% to 26%.
Not only must we understand the fact that there is an increasing presence of toddlers and seniors online, but we need to understand the laws that protect their privacy. Most privacy laws protect information such as medical and financial records. These laws do not protect when internet users are doing internet searches or take a survey or quiz and willingly reveal information. One specific law is the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires that websites directed at children under 13 must limit their data collection and usage in certain ways. There are also limitations on the information that can be sent to advertisers and this is why some social networks therefore do not allow users under 13
Reading your privacy policy might seem tedious and boring, but it is very important. Often times you just skip over this as you join a new network and users should take the time to review it. Some quick tips about reading the privacy include: starting at the end because often the most important information can be found there, check if you can cancel or delete your account if you decide you do not want to be apart of the network anymore, find how long personal information is stored and lastly determine who owns the data that is posted.
Do not ignore privacy rights and policies. Millennials must take charge and know their rights so they can help teach other generations. We cannot let others see all of our posts and photos of our children, but we cannot be afraid to share or reconnect with our friends and family. Know your rights, like you know your family and friends, intimately.
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