While the article "Protecting children while silencing them: The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act and children's free speech rights" by Charlene Simmons is dated, it raises an interesting question about freedom of speech. Though Simmons's focus is on the US constitution and laws, it draws attention to the issue of limiting children's freedom of speech through legislation and parental authority, which still applies in a Canadian context.
The concept of "Sharenting" most often concerns the effects a parent's actions on social media might have on their children. But can parents be told outright not to share? What are the exceptions, if any? Does this not, on some level, limit their freedom of speech?
I was intrigued because most of the academic articles I have browsed assume that children are vulnerable online and parents responsible for their children's online safety - but the issue is complicated when children are the ones who have to monitor their parents.
Retrieved from: Simmons, C. (2007). Protecting children while silencing them: The children's online privacy protection act and children's free speech rights. Communication Law and Policy, 12(2), 119-142. doi:10.1080/10811680701266492
It is surprising that there is more legislation policing children's behavior than parents'. There seems to be some concern in France, as French police have warned parents against posting photos of their children (this is the article: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/french-parents-told-their-children-might-sue-them-for-pictures-put-on-facebook-a6906671.html). In the article, Eric Delcroix states that parents' behavior is 'little better' than their children. I wonder if you think that children, born into the internet age and perhaps more savvy about it, would actually be more aware of the consequences of posting information as compared to their parents, who did not grow up with the internet?
ReplyDeleteThere're two things related to your questions from my point of view.
DeleteFor one, I think younger generation might have different conception of privacy, especially for commercial corporations interesting in their data. I seldom hearing my younger brother and relatives complaining about the targeted advertisement, and totally unaware the possible discrimination . They are happy to trade their privacy for sociability.
However, they're deeply aware that the photos on the internet could spread! So many of them turn to more private social platform, such as instant message service, snapchat, and adjusting privacy setting carefully. This is totally different from my parents.
So I guess the younger generation's privacy conception might indeed different.