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We share a lot about ourselves online – our looks, our friends, what we enjoy or dislike. Other people, like family and friends, share information about us too – when they post a photo of us or tag us at some place.  We may be happy to share some things online but other things we’d rather keep to ourselves.

The internet collects information that maybe we didn't mean to share. The apps and devices we use automatically collect information, such as the device we’re using, our location, or what we watch or click on or search for. Over time, this information (our ‘data’) gets more detailed. When companies, advertisers, even future employers use it for their own purposes, this may be helpful, but it may be unfair or harmful.

Resources for parents

• : read this resource which maps the key points at which children's data is collected and explores the possible implications of this (4 mins, by the )
• : a video about understanding and protecting your child’s privacy on social media (5 mins, by )
• : test your knowledge of the Terms and Conditions of some of the most popular apps with this true or false quiz (2 mins, by
• : find information about cookies, the privacy challenges they present and what individuals can do about them (2 mins, by the )
• : highlights relevant information that's usually hidden in the privacy policies of the apps and services we use every day (for selective reading, by )

Resources to recommend to children

Sometimes apps collect information that’s unexpected - for example, most torch apps track your location. If apps ask to access your contacts, photos or microphone, they may keep this information.

Even if you don’t let them access your contacts, they may get access anyway, if your friends allow access to contacts. So, our data travels between devices and apps.

Companies like WhatsApp and Instagram collect data about us from other companies they do business with – like the App Store or Google Play. Apps often keep working and collect data even when they’re not being used. Data also travels to companies we’ve never used! It’s hard to know where our data ends up or how long it stays there, even after we have deleted our original profile.

So how does this happen? When we visit a website or use an app, small pieces of data (cookies) are placed on our device to track and record what we do. Some cookies are functional – for example, they remember our username and password. Other cookies help the company analyse its users and make services more profitable. There are also ‘third party cookies’ – these are used to sell our data to companies who want to advertise their products to us. For example, place cookies on your device, including Google, Amazon and Facebook. In this way, companies can track us even when we don’t use their services.

So how can our data be used? Our data can be copied, analysed, stored, combined with other data, shared and sold to others – advertisers, companies, government. Some of the companies who track us are ‘data brokers’ – their business is to buy and sell data. Data brokers collect data from different sites and then ‘profile’ individual users – they put each of us into groups with other people like us. Then companies can work out things about us that we haven’t shared.

Resources for parents

• : ideas about what you might want to find out about your child’s privacy at school and when using education apps (2 mins, by )
• : read the BBC’s guidance on privacy and data collection (2 mins, )
• : read about how companies collect personal information while your child plays games (3 mins, by the )
• : How creepy is that smart speaker, that fitness tracker, those wireless headphones? A guide to help you shop for safe, secure connected products (5 mins, )
• : how to make sure nobody spies on you through your webcam (3 mins, )
• : read and watch this material about data harvesting by brokers (4 mins, )
• : a personalised series of short videos about privacy and the web economy explaining how and why we are being tracked online (2-3 mins each, )
• : learn how we leave digital traces online and explore the resources that can help you learn more about who is tracking you and how you can prevent it (2 mins, by )
• : a video about how daily activities online can be harvested by businesses (2 mins, by the )
• : read about the typical information gathered about you on a typical day (2 mins, by the )

Resources to recommend to children and here

We often think that we have nothing to hide or that the data collected doesn’t identify us (e.g. IP address, gender or time spent online). Well, think again! When all the data is combined, it creates a precise picture of who we are - where we live, what we do in our spare time, our family members, our opinions. Combined with other data that is already available, like school or medical records, it can be used to identify us and can be used in the future.

How long does our data stay online? In practice, personal data may be there forever. It may be fine to share something now, but we can’t be sure how it could be used in the future – perhaps  when we apply for a job or a phone contract, housing or insurance.

Once we’ve been ‘profiled’, the information and advertising we see gets filtered – showing us some things and hiding others. This may mean that our decisions, and even our view of the world, rely on partial – perhaps biased - information.

are common and include unauthorised access to a person's address, date of birth, telephone number, email, passwords, photos and bank account.

Resources for parents

• : learn how your private information might be leaked or stolen from a service or website (3 mins, by )

• : a running record of ‘data harms’, harms that have been caused by uses of big data with the aim of learning from where things have gone wrong (10 mins; )
• : a stack of story cards that can be used to discuss privacy risks with children ()
• : a video of children responding to questions about things people found out about them from the internet (3 mins, )
• : worksheets (one 2-sided page) for use with your child. Topics include: secure passwords, cyberbullying, teen sexting, safe online shopping and creativity & copyright (6 mins, )
  
  

Resources to recommend to children

Privacy is something to think about every time we use the internet. There are a lot of things we can do to protect our privacy online. Here are some suggestions and resources to share with children.

» Know what you are agreeing to

Learn what data your apps and devices collect about you. What do they share with others? Who can see your stuff? Who owns what you post? Read the Terms and Conditions about privacy (read a child-friendly version for some apps ).  

» Tighten your privacy

Check your privacy settings. Consider making your profile private and disabling functions you don’t need (e.g. your location, third party cookies, advertising and interest preferences, profile visibility).

» Clean your device

Go through your apps regularly and remove anything you don’t use to avoid unnecessary apps collecting your data. Clean the cookies and browsing history on your devices.

» Clean your online profiles

Delete any social media profiles you no longer use. Review your profiles and see if you want to delete anything: e.g. photos, comments, posts, friends, groups, likes, your profile information.

» Know what you look like online

Try to find out what the internet knows about you by searching your name. Try to remove any content that you think should not be online.

» Know what to share

Never share your passwords. Avoid sharing your location. Only post information you are happy for everyone to see – even 10 years from now. Be aware of your online reputation and protect your own privacy and that of your friends.

» Make a positive digital footprint

The internet can be a great place to socialise, have fun and learn. You can create a positive online reputation about yourself by being considerate and thoughtful.

Resources for parents 

• : guidance and tips for parents (4 mins, ).  

• : find tips for protecting your personal information when downloading and using mobile apps (2 mins, by the )

• Teach parents tech: watch a short video on (3 mins) and (2 mins), read about 7 practical steps to (1 min) (by )

• : practical advice aiming to help you limit the risks to your children’s personal information, while allowing them to make the most of their time online (3 mins, by the )

• : an infographic that helps parents find out what apps might be doing but might not be telling them and what they can do about it (2 mins, )

• : read about several easy steps you can take which will significantly reduce your child's data footprint (2 mins, by the )

• : suggested privacy rules tailored to what your child does online (4 mins, by the )

• : learn about the latest games, apps and social media, including how to protect your child’s information and report inappropriate content (2 mins, by the )

• : an online toolkit for improving control over online digital profiles ()

• : designed to prepare parents and guardians for the conversations they should have with their children when they first start using digital devices (29 pages of light text, by )

• : an online tutorial that looks at the various activities children love to do online and offers tips and strategies for everything from Facebook privacy settings, online shopping, cyberbullying, to protecting your computer from viruses (24 mins, can select different topics, by )

Resources to recommend to children

Children are entitled to extra protection, so it’s important not to give an older age when using apps and online services. It is also important to talk to children about the rights they have as internet users. These include the right to:

» : you have the right to see a clear and easily-understood privacy notice that explains what the company is, what data they collect, and how they will use your data

»: you have the right to ask any company to give you a copy of all the personal data they hold about you

» : you can correct any incorrect personal data or complete incomplete data they hold about you. It’s called right to rectification

» : you have the right to have your personal data deleted. It’s called right to erasure

» : you can restrict how companies use or process your personal data in some cases

» : you can ask any company to stop processing your data, even if it’s gained in a legal way

» : you can request all your data to be sent from one company to another. It’s called right to data portability

» : sometimes computers process your data and make decisions on their own, without a person. You have the right to object to this use of your personal data

» : you can to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

Resources for parents

• : a tool explaining rights and providing practical advice ()
• : a free process to find out what is stored at the Department for Education about your child and who they have given the data to (5 min, ).
• : worksheet with questions to discuss with children (5 mins, by the )

Resources to recommend to children

Privacy can be fun! Here are some videos and games that we selected with the help of children. Children can solve some privacy challenges and check how privacy-aware they are – while having fun!

We all want to enjoy being online and feeling safe but sometimes things can go wrong. This is why it is important to report any wrongdoings and seek help when we know someone needs it. Here are some ways you can do this.

Helplines

• : 0808 800 5000, provides help and support to parents, professionals and families
• : 0808 802 5544, support for mental health crisis
• : 0808 800 2222, help and advice for parents, carers and schools to deal with all forms of bullying.

Reporting a problem online

• for reporting child sexual abuse images
• for reporting child sexual abuse images
• for reporting online hate speech
• for reporting media content (advert, television or radio programme, film, newspaper, magazine, video game) unsuitable for children

Reporting directly to companies

• YouTube: you can a privacy violation, a video, an abusive user, age-inappropriate content restrictions. YouTube
• Instagram: you can report , , and other issues
• Snapchat: you can a safety concern, abuse, a story or lens
• Tumblr: ,
• Facebook: , a profile, post, photo or video, pages, comments or messages
• X: , ,
• Tik Tok: , ,
• Ask.fm: ,

Helplines for children

• : 0800 1111, confidential help on any issue
• : 0800 068 4141, confidential suicide prevention advice
• : 0808 808 4994, essential support for under-25s
• Crisis Messenger: text YM to 85258 for 24/7 support for a mental health crisis