Artificial Intelligence and Privacy: The Urgent Need for Children’s Media Literacy

Protecting children’s privacy continues to challenge policymakers and citizens alike in the media age and debates often point to the need for data protection literacy. The latter constitutes only one limited aspect of privacy, yet, it dominates actions by global platforms as they seek to monetise on personal data. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the various platforms that children daily use, further complicates the effort to counter violations of privacy globally. Importantly, children’s views on these matters need to be further integrated in the global debates on privacy. This study contributes to knowledge about children’s experiences and perceptions of privacy while online, by examining children’s media literacy through a qualitative meta-synthesis of research data from work with children in Vienna, Austria. Children’s media literacy skills are presented along with children’s digital privacy literacy skills and their development is traced through the different age groups. Furthermore, the study examines the intersection between privacy literacy and AI literacy. Through a systematic synthesis of qualitative findings, this study aims to develop a map that describes the essential skills needed for personal data protection at different developmental stages in AI-driven media. The findings highlight the evolution of skills across the nine-16 age range, such as critical evaluation and privacy management. Although younger children may struggle with abstract AI concepts, they are able to understand basic privacy settings. Older children may begin to grasp the implications of data used in AI but still lack the critical skills to evaluate AI-driven disinformation.