Edtech & Elearning: The future of children, privacy and data
The world we know today has advanced technologies that assist in various fields of life. But what about the effects of advanced internet technology on children? Are young individuals in our society safe from malicious actors on the internet? How can we make it safer for them?
The first and obvious step is supervising and monitoring how children use the internet and related devices at home, schools, and elsewhere.
Promoting awareness about Internet safety, such as checking for cookie consent notifications or reading the privacy policy before scrolling through websites, is another necessary step for safeguarding children’s online privacy.
The Edtech effect
Covid-19 has impacted the operations of educational institutions (schools, colleges, and private coaching classes), and online learning mode has gained popularity. By 2029, the global Edtech or education technology industry will hold a market size of $319.65 billion.
Like most websites, Edtech sites collect student data to facilitate an enriching learning environment through rigorous analysis. Some of the most prominent reasons why Edtech companies collect student information are:
Personalization
Progress Tracking
Research
Marketing
Higher education holds a larger market size, but a shift in learning dynamics in recent years has accelerated the use of Edtech tools in the K-12 category.
The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is a category of online learning programs popular among students, working professionals, and eager learners. In 2019, the MOOC market was valued at $5.16 billion and was estimated to reach 21.14 billion by 2025.
Google Apps for Education (GAFE) is a set of cloud-based applications that educators and students use to communicate, collaborate, and create. Schools and educators use GAFE tools such as Google Classroom and Chromebooks for learning.
In the U.S., K-12 public schools, private schools, and colleges represent about 76 million students and the faculty market of 80.5 million potential GAFE users.
Companies like YouTube, SkillShare, LinkedIn, and Udemy offer free and paid courses that enhance the learner’s knowledge and skillset on various topics. They collect user data, including, but not only, names, email addresses, IP addresses, and contact information. In the case of paid courses, Edtech companies collect postal codes and payment details from the customers.
In 2019, the MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) market was valued at $5.16 billion. This figure is expected to reach as high as $21.14 billion by 2025.
Online education is here to stay, and Edtech businesses will flourish.
Edtech services make learning fun and interactive for kids and provide flexibility to working parents and caregivers. Edtech tools help caregivers and parents by:
Scheduling Classes at Home
Providing Real-time updates and Feedback
Providing details on a child’s performance
Providing an Immersive learning experience
Providing Personalized learning modules
Online learning has numerous perks, and lowered global carbon emission rates are one of them. But cloud learning comes with a silver lining.
Considering young individuals, ignorance and lack of awareness about data privacy and data mining can cause:
Misuse of student data
As discussed earlier, Edtech companies collect personal details beyond names and email addresses. Companies do not ‘store’ your complete payment card details. Instead, they pick and record the last few digits of customers’ card details. Combining the numbers with a person’s postal code helps companies create a unique ID. Without cookies and other trackers, creating a unique ID with a combination of payment card and postal code details allows companies to track consumer behaviour.
Companies like Google have been in hot waters for student data mining from the GAFE applications for the advantage of recruiters and marketers. Data collected about students can be sold to recruiters who hire candidates based on merit and eligibility. The availability of student performance records can make it easier for companies to skim through job applications and more challenging for young graduates to find well-paying jobs.
Targeting of Caregivers and parents
According to Pew Research, ages 11 and 12 are major parental milestones. A survey finds that 73% of parents consider it acceptable for children to have their phones only after reaching at least 12 years of age. 43% of parents think children can have their phones at 12-14. Only 22% of parents consider it okay for a child under 12 years to have a personal smartphone.
The problem with having a personal smartphone at a young age is more extensive than it seems. Adults, let alone children, shrug off website disclaimers and privacy policies and fall prey to unauthorized data mining, processing, and target marketing.
Companies that provide Edtech services offer an apt learning environment, and they want to fit in the growing online education market. Targeting parents, working professionals, educators, and caregivers is how the Edtech industry moves forward, whether consumers pay attention to user consent management options.
Awareness and Agility for Data Privacy
As responsible adults, we must ensure that our society's children understand how the Internet works. Promoting online education tools among children is an excellent way to distract them from vague content on the internet. Awareness of data safety measures among young individuals is essential to ensuring a safe online environment for learning. The following steps can help make Edtech experience safer for students and learners:
Checking websites and mobile applications for a consent manager that allows setting preferences about ‘data mapping’ and ‘fingerprinting.’
Taking time to read the privacy policy of Edtech websites and mobile apps.
Understanding the terms of the privacy policies and accepting/hiring services on preference and not influence.
Understanding why cookie-less data collection processes like ‘fingerprinting’ require consent management is essential for businesses and consumers looking to make the most of the online education industry. Visit Adzapier.com to learn more about the uses of a cookie consent solution in the Edtech industry.