KOALA Hero Data Cards

The Oxford CCAI has recently developed an innovative approach to help families become more aware of data risks on mobile devices. As the holiday season approaches, we want to help families understand the potential data risks on mobile devices, especially when children go online with tablets or smartphones.

According to Dr Jun Zhao, Senior Researcher at the Department of Computer Science, when kids go online, their actions are constantly recorded and processed by apps. This data is used by platforms to decide what they can do to keep children stay. Basically, everything children come across online can be tailored to them based on their digital activities. This happens because many apps use trackers to collect information about what kids do online without them knowing. This data is then shared across platforms to create a detailed picture of our children. This allows platforms to influence kids with more targeted content than ever before.

We understand the holiday season is a busy time for everyone, and digital platforms have become a major source for families to shop, entertain, or stay in touch with friends. We hope our resources can help you become more aware of some of the data risks when your children go online during the holidays.

To assist parents and carers we offer a small deck of ‘data cards’ along with some engaging worksheets that you can use to talk to your children about data risks during the holiday period. The goal is to empower families with the knowledge needed to navigate the digital landscape responsibly and protect children’s online experiences.

Families can download the worksheets and data cards by clicking on the links below. We would love to hear what you think.

We thank Ge Wang and Jun Zhao for creating these data cards and worksheets.