"Over 72 Million Pieces of Personal Data Collected Before Age 13... Children's Safety Takes a Back Seat to Corporate Profit" [Sexual Exploitation, Out]

Interview with Linda Barrington-Leach, Secretary General of the 5rights Foundation
Digital companies profiting from personal data
Children and adolescents' safety pushed to the back burner

"The consequences of digital companies prioritizing profit over children's privacy and safety are devastating. The burden is borne by children, communities, and society as a whole."

Linda Barrington-Leach, Secretary General of the 5rights Foundation and a speaker at the 47th Global Privacy Assembly, stated in an interview with Asia Economy on the 17th that the rights of children and adolescents to safety are being trampled by profit-driven digital companies. The 5rights Foundation, established in 2018 as an international non-profit organization, advocates for five essential rights in the digital environment for children and adolescents: the right to erasure, the right to information, the right to safety and support, voluntary use, and digital literacy.

Linda Barrington-Leach, Secretary General of the 5rights Foundation, is giving a presentation at the Child and Adolescent Privacy Protection session of the 47th Global Privacy Assembly held on the 17th. She has been engaged in international activities in the field of human rights for over 20 years. Personal Information Protection Commission

Barrington-Leach pointed out that the social networking services, video games, AI chatbots, and edtech platforms accessed by children and adolescents are designed solely to generate profit for companies, resulting in numerous side effects. She said, "Children and adolescents represent a very significant and lucrative market and target for profit-driven companies," adding, "On average, over 72 million pieces of personal information are collected from children and adolescents before the age of 13, and 73% of apps and platforms generate revenue from personal data." She continued, "Due to these choices by companies, children and adolescents are experiencing a sharp increase in cases of sexual abuse, addiction, and other harms."

Barrington-Leach criticized companies for shifting the responsibility of protecting children's rights onto children and their parents. She explained, "While parents can guide their children not to talk to strangers, it may be an illusion for any of us to believe that we have true autonomy and privacy in the digital environment." She emphasized, "Digital companies have designed their systems to keep people online longer, to share more data, and to expose themselves more," and insisted, "Companies that create systems undermining autonomy must be held accountable."

At the 47th Global Privacy Assembly held on the 17th, the audience is listening to the speech of Barrington-Leach, Secretary General of 5rights, during the Child and Adolescent Privacy Protection session. Personal Information Protection Commission

The 5rights Foundation has taken the lead in developing policies, regulations, and technical standards to transform digital companies. A representative example is the 'Age-Appropriate Design Code,' created to protect the personal information of children and adolescents under the age of 18 and to reduce their exposure to harmful or inappropriate content. The foundation also contributed to the drafting of General Comment No. 25, adopted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child, which affirms that children's rights apply in the digital world. As a result, all 196 countries that are parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child are now officially required to report on their compliance with the provisions they have pledged to uphold for the protection of children's rights.

Barrington-Leach stressed, "Now, more than ever, it is crucial to enforce these regulations." She added, "More countries must participate to establish consistent global standards, address loopholes, and systematically implement methods to protect children and adolescents in the digital environment."