Children’s Day 2021

This Saturday is World Children’s Day, UNICEF’s annual day of action for children.

It is celebrated on 20 November each year and commemorates the Declaration of the Rights of the Child by the UN Assembly on that date in 1959. The declaration is an international document which promotes a broad range of rights for children.

There are many laws which apply equally to every individual, regardless of how old (or young) they may be. Data protection, however, recognises that children deserve specific and additional care and attention. In the data protection legislation in place across Europe, as well as our own here in the Bailiwick, there are additional safeguards and higher protections for children where organisations collect their personal data, especially in the online environment. There is also a duty for us at the ODPA, as the independent regulator, to specifically consider young people’s needs when promoting awareness of risks, rules and safeguards and rights in the context of data protection.

We have given a great deal of thought to how best support the younger members of our community in data-related matters. It is not something traditionally seen as part of the standard educational package for children as they grow up but it is now so relevant for them all as they navigate our increasingly digital environment.

Our schools’ programme was developed by our outreach officer (a qualified teacher) who has worked with local teachers to develop a bespoke set of activities for key year groups linked to the Bailiwick’s ‘Big Picture Curriculum’. The programme engages children in a number of initiatives that explain key concepts under the Personal, Social, Health, Citizenship and Economic area of the curriculum such as:

• Understanding the relevance of data protection and privacy
• Rules, rights, responsibilities and laws
• Sharing data
• Online presence and communication
• Keeping personal information safe

We know that children and young people are powerful drivers of cultural change and want our schools programme to harness that power to enhance our local population’s understanding, awareness, and appreciation of their rights under the local data protection law.

Following on from these successful outreach activities held in PSHCE sessions in secondary and primary schools over the last academic year, we are now also pursuing other avenues and ways of sharing information about their rights and data protection principles to young people, recognising that there needs to be a broad holistic approach in this area.

This includes alternative, more creative, ways of engaging young people and using some of these methods to further develop our work with children in schools. We do not want children to experience this topic as a fleeting interaction with us; we want it to become part of their day-to-day engagement with each other and the world around them.

There are many agencies and charities that already work with young people across the Bailiwick on a variety of different topics and issues. In order to improve our reach and to emphasise how data protection principles impact every area of our lives, we are also discussing ways of working with these agencies or supporting what they already do.

These different strands of our work, some of which are in train, some of which are being developed, seek to ensure that we deliver on our statutory duties in a way that is meaningful and relevant. We recognise that we do not have all the answers when looking at the best way to educate, inform and empower young people. Data protection and the language around it can be challenging to navigate and can discourage a broader reflection of what the law is there to do. By working in a collaborative and inclusive way with others who already work extensively with children, we can harness and maximise the skills, energy and resources to support the Bailiwick’s young people to become better informed and more aware of their data rights in this digital era.

If children’s awareness of data protection is enhanced, the whole community benefits:

1. A well-informed young person is less likely to fall victim to harms that may arise from misuse of their personal data.
2. A well-informed young person may share their new awareness with adults in their lives, so the message is spread wider.
3. The world is increasingly data-driven and we want to ensure young people grow up well versed in the technical, legal and ethical issues that arise.