Educating Parents in Managing Online Privacy Risks: Media Educators’ Perspectives

Although parents express concerns about their children’s personal data being collected for malicious purposes, studies have shown that parents themselves often share their children’s personal data, are not aware of certain privacy risks, or lack knowledge on how to mitigate them. In light of the extensive body of information material that is publicly available for free, this research focuses on understanding the challenges faced in educating parents about their children’s online privacy, and proposes strategies to overcome these barriers. For this a qualitative, exploratory study among media educators was conducted. The results suggest that the main obstacle lies in effectively establishing contact with parents, highlighting the necessity of finding alternative formats to the traditional brochures and parent-teacher conferences. In addition, the findings underscore the significance of showing empathy and selecting words carefully when communicating with parents. We contribute with a comprehensive overview of media educators’ viewpoints and provide insights for future research on supporting parents in mitigating online privacy risks.