Facebook聽and other social media companies may have to turn off the like function for聽children in the UK under proposed guidelines to ensure their safety online.
Techniques that nudge under 18s to聽stay online longer聽would also not be allowed, according to a planned code of practice from the聽Information Commissioner鈥檚 Office (ICO), the UK鈥檚 data watchdog. These tactics can help firms harvest more data and include likes used by Facebook and Instagram, as well as Snapchat鈥檚 streaks.
The code of practice comprises 16 standards that online services should meet.聽These include that settings must be set to high privacy by default and that only the minimum amount of personal data should be collected. Nudge techniques should also not be used to encourage children to turn off privacy techniques or provide unnecessary personal data.
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The ICO is now starting a period of consultation on the guidelines, which will last until the end of May.
鈥淭his is the connected generation. The internet and all its wonders are hardwired into their everyday lives,鈥� says information commissioner Elizabeth Denham.聽鈥淲e shouldn鈥檛 have to prevent our children from being able to use it, but we must demand that they are protected when they do. This code does that.鈥�
Several children鈥檚 charities have already welcomed the proposed guidelines, but others have said it should be left up to parents to keep their children safe online.
