We all have the right to control the use that any organization or entity may make of our data. Personal data is the information that identifies us or can make us identifiable, such as the name, the NIF, a photograph or a recording ... Our children also have the right to data protection and we must know the rules that allow us to protect them.
Minors are particularly exposed to the use of their personal information. Your data may be relevant in school or health, as well as being used for commercial purposes, in the field of leisure and especially on the Internet.
Therefore we will list the advice of the Spanish Agency for data protection for parents, so that we learn to identify the risks and help our children to move in this information society, and especially on the Internet, in a safe way.
The school or extracurricular activities These are spaces where multiple minor data are processed. The school, the AMPA or the bus service must comply with the Organic Law on Data Protection. Much attention should be paid to extracurricular activities provided by third parties outside the center. They must respect the fundamental right to data protection. For example, the capture of photos of children and their subsequent use in accommodation, sports activities etc. It should be carried out with the knowledge and consent of the parents or with that of the child, if he were over fourteen.
This is especially relevant on the Internet, where precautions must be taken and it is not advisable to publish photos that identify a child, for example placing him in the context of a particular school and / or activity.
Children are particularly vulnerable in the Internet environment. The offers they receive on websites, forums, or chats attract them easily. Children must be accompanied in navigation, especially at the beginning, to help them distinguish risks, ensure that children do not access the Internet through unreliable environments or that they do not exchange personal data or photographs with strangers.
The adult must read the privacy policy of the website, check if the contents and profile of the users are adequate, ensure that they are protected spaces and verify the conditions and treatments of the data of the minors. If you do not report properly, and treating data of children under 14 do not require our authorization, we must not give our data or those of the children. Remember that We cannot process the data of our children under 14 years without requesting our authorization.
In the Internet world there are environments and services that may be unsafe for a child. We must be particularly careful in spaces such as forums, chat or social networks. These are spaces that require the child to know the risks and the ability to use them will depend on their maturity. Help him understand the risks and choose properly. Children are especially attracted to online games and this is a context in which it is very easy to capture their data. Check what your preferences and games are. Advise him not to provide his data without your supervision and ask for our help when registering.
Children must access the Internet through personalized environments and limited or restricted user accounts, and can be used for browsing page filtering software of inappropriate content and that allows the preparation of activity reports of visited sites. However, the child also has a right to privacy in the family context. The monitoring of your computer, the use of video surveillance or geolocation via mobile are extreme solutions. The Agency notes that these measures should be used only when they are essential and taking into account the proportionality of the measure based on its purpose and the child's age.
In the information society, knowing the Internet and its benefits and risks is essential. Minors must be informed and trained about the dangers of using the Internet, warning them not to share or provide information or exchange photographs with unknown persons and without knowing what they will be used for; that do not open the attached files in the emails and prevent the download of files or programs.
In short, the key to data protection of minors It is the education of our children, for there will come a time when they decide that they are prepared to navigate without supervision. They must learn what the Internet is and how it works and, if necessary, we must learn it before us to know how to guide them properly.
