Tips for Safer Back-To-School Shopping: Your Kids Tech Privacy Cheat Sheet

Did you know that this is actually the most wonderful time of the year? (Source: one cheesy and very memorable TV commercial from the ‘90s.) It’s probably also a time when you’re shopping for tech for the littlest ones in your life. But how can you know – without too much extra homework – which tablets, trackers, smartwatches, and educational toys do an OK job at protecting your kid’s privacy before you buy!? If we haven’t reviewed that product yet (find out by entering the product name in the search bar!), then here are some tips to help you suss it out for yourself.

Avoid products by companies that have a bad data privacy track record

For legal and concern reasons, the tech industry talks a good game when it comes to protecting kids’ privacy. Cool! But the best privacy policy in the world is meaningless if you can’t trust that company to do what they say. Like when Amazon broke the law by keeping children’s voice recordings even after they promised to to delete them. Yikes!

How can you find out quickly? Search for the brand or parent company name plus “data privacy news.”

Pay closer attention to products that can record, listen, or encourage kids to share information

If it has the power to record audio, take pictures, or get any kind of input from your kid, then you’ll want to look extra closely at the privacy settings. Higher tech tools like tablets and smart speakers can mean a higher risk to your tiny techie’s privacy. When it’s not totally necessary, it’s easier to opt for products that aren’t able to collect a ton of information from the device or app. That way you don’t have to trust the company to handle that data with care. When collecting sensitive information is part of the product – like a fitness tracker or smart watch – it’s especially important to try to choose one that passes the privacy tests in this post.

How can you find out quickly? Check out the product's features, knowing that anything that can listen, record, or track your kid’s location comes with extra risk.

Skim the privacy policy for red flags

If you can’t easily find the privacy policy, that's already a red flag. And while there may be references to privacy on a company’s website or packaging, we strongly suggest looking at the privacy policy itself. It’s the only place companies actually have to list what data can be collected on your child by that product. Even products with similar features could have dramatically different policies about data collection. (Weird, but true!)

Also, know that tech products for kids may collect your personal information too for reasons that can be fine and good – like letting you set up parental controls – so you’ll find out how your own data is handled too.

The main questions your privacy-policy-skimming-session is looking to answer are:

• What data can be collected from you and your child – is it easy for you to understand?
• With whom is this personal information being shared or sold – is it being used for reasons that don’t seem necessary for the service, like targeted advertising?
• Can you get all of yours and your child’s personal information deleted upon request?

How can you find out quickly? Crack open that privacy policy and have a look at the list of personal data collected from you and your child – that part should be near the top. Then, click [ Cntrl ] [ F ] to search “sell,” “advertising,” then “delete” to skip to the sections about how your data is used and whether you can delete it.

Beware of products that put the burden on your kid to protect their privacy

Toys and tech for kids that are OK at privacy should have their strictest privacy settings ON by default to make it as easy as possible for you to protect your young’uns privacy. If a device can record, it shouldn’t always be listening. It’s a good idea to check. For higher tech stuff like tablets and smart speakers, you can usually find advanced privacy settings in the “parental controls”. If the product has an app, you can limit its permissions (like access to location, microphone, images) in the device settings.

When products come with warnings that it’s up to you to teach your child how to protect their privacy, that raises a red flag (and an eyebrow) for us. Kids' tech should be set up so that no matter what they do or say, they won’t be putting their privacy at risk. Teaching your kid not to share their personal information with a smart speaker or robot toy is a conversation that can wait until after they’ve learned long division.

How can you find out quickly? Beware of products with hard-to-find privacy settings and controls that don’t make the most private setting the default.

Request a privacy-and-security review of a tech product for kids

It can be so tricky to tell when products are actually okay for your privacy and security – even for us, and that’s what we do here. We’re happy to dig into the nitty gritty for you and highlight just what you need to know. If there’s a kids’ tech product you’re curious about, drop us a line and we’ll do our best to have a look.

To learn more about kids-and-privacy, check out the US-based Common Sense Privacy Program for resources and additional reviews of apps and educational technology. There’s also the United Nations’ online safety lesson plan for kids that you might find helpful.