Tech Literacy: Explaining the Algorithm That Spies on Your Kids

If you have a teen in your house, you don’t need statistics to tell you that adolescents spend a significant amount of time in front of a screen, much of it scrolling social media. If you want research to confirm your own observations, a 2023 Pew Research report found that 1 in 5 youth are on social media “almost constantly.” Of course, teens aren’t the only ones on the internet. Your own experience has likely taught you that social media platforms, and the algorithms behind them, are designed to get and hold our attention. While all of us enjoy receiving interesting and entertaining content as a result, there’s also a downside, particularly for kids. These same algorithms can also serve up all kinds of undesirable material, like misinformation, violent and explicit videos, and posts that promote eating disorders or negative self-image. For our kids’ sake, and our own, let’s pull back the curtain and take a closer look.

Why are you seeing what you’re seeing?

Have you ever searched the internet for a particular item, or read an article on a certain topic, and suddenly your social media feed is populated by an endless stream of posts, ads and “suggestions” about that very same thing? You have algorithms to thank for this (sometimes creepy) feeling that someone (or something) is watching (and listening) to your every cyber move.

An algorithm is a formula or a set of instructions created to solve a problem. Social media apps use these complex sets of rules and calculations, or “recommendation algorithms,” to decide what to show you.

In order to make these determinations, they need to learn about you by collecting information, such as who you follow, who you share content with, the posts and videos you engage with, how much time you spend watching certain videos, how much you linger on specific content when you’re scrolling and much more. In other words, these companies are tracking your every move, then using all of that data to make predictions about what they think you’ll like. If you engage with that content, they give you more. Studies have found that by the time a child is 13 years old, ad tech firms have gathered millions of data points on them.

Although it might seem that social media platforms are “free” to use, you’re paying for it by sharing all of this information. At the end of the day, these companies are big businesses trying to turn a profit. Using all the collected data on individuals, they make money by selling targeted ads to you. The longer you stay on an app, the more ads you’ll see and the more money they’ll make. Never forget: It’s all about the money – and we’re talking about a lot of money, which means a lot of motivation to do whatever it takes to keep you on these apps. For perspective, TikTok ad revenue is estimated to be between $11- $18.5 billion in 2024 and Instagram’s close to $71 billion.

Trapped in the echo chamber

In some ways, by following accounts and liking videos, you do have a certain amount of agency over what you see. For some teens, algorithms can help them find their “people” or pursue their interests. However, the type of media we consume shapes the way we see the world and our place in it, which is difficult to do without bias if we’re only seeing one small slice of the world. If young people are only interacting with others who share their interests, they may be limiting their potential to reach beyond themselves.

As these algorithms learn your preferences and show you more of the same, you’ll never have the chance to know if you’re interested in all of the other things they don’t show you. Ultimately that limits your exposure to new ideas. When you’re only getting content that reinforces what you already believe without ever challenging those beliefs, it’s difficult to think critically. Critical thinking is particularly important when it comes to political beliefs or the news you consume. Without it, you can even get sucked into “rabbit holes” where algorithms lead to extreme, inaccurate or inappropriate content.

Taming the algorithm

Although some countries, like Australia, are making steps to safeguard teens when it comes to social media, as a parent in the U.S., it’s currently left up to you to help your child navigate the downside of these apps, while encouraging them to look outside the social media filter to gain a solid and informed world view. As you undertake that Herculean task, here are a few tips that might help as you discuss social media with your family:

• Be mindful of how social media algorithms work; discuss how and why companies use them.
• Talk about what content you’re seeing and why you might be seeing it. Stop and think before you “like” and share. These, often mindless, actions amplify posts, affecting not only what you see, but also what everyone else sees, too.
• Learn to be a part of the solution. Don’t spread misinformation or potentially harmful content.
• Be a good “digital citizen.” Try to break out of the “echo chamber” by searching out other opinions and other sources.
• Talk about how to be intentional on the internet, especially social media. Talk to your friends and family about what you’re seeing. You might be surprised by the differences.

As always, communication is key. If your teen is willing, watch and discuss Netflix’s The Social Dilemma together, or read and discuss The Wall Street Journal’s “Facebook Files,” investigative reporting on Meta and the platform itself.

Teens’ Social Media Data: Statistics

A study by Common Sense Media found that 82% of teens are concerned that social media platforms share their data with advertisers. Common Sense reports that “Behavioral advertising exposes children to increased privacy violations, problematic targeting that exploits proclivities for gambling, alcohol and unhealthy food, and general manipulation, shaping who they are and their self-expression.’

• According to a 2017 study, ad tech companies have gathered at least 72 million data points on a child by the age of 13. This is a substantial underestimate, as they excluded trackers used by Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media platforms.
• A 2018 analysis of 959,000 apps from the U.S. and U.K. found that 93% of apps aimed at kids and families linked to third-party trackers, with over 28% of apps linked to more than 10 trackers.
• Children interact with “connected toys” that record images, sounds, location and, in some cases, heartbeat and other biometric data, and share the data via the internet. They also interact with Internet of Things (IoT) technologies like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, which record their voices and engage AI to perform voice recognition. The data on these devices is technically protected under COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act), but some of the devices are targeted at general users, and thus face less scrutiny due to lack of “actual knowledge” that kids under 13 use their products. Amazon Echo Dot Kids Edition has faced blowback due to lack of transparency with parents about the data collected and an alleged software bug that prevented the deletion of kids’ data.
• COPPA is often violated: A 2018 study analyzed 5,855 Android apps that target kids and found that more than half appear to violate COPPA.

Source: commonsensemedia.org

Julie Wenger Watson is a freelance writer who’s worked in all aspects of music promotion. She’s also Co-Director of “Live From Cain’s,” a public radio show pilot.