“I’m not a kid anymore!” Towards a teen-centric approach of online privacy management

Abstract

The youth constitutes the largest user base of social media networks. While this generation has grown up in a digitally immersed environment, they are still not immune to the dangers the online space bears. Hence, maintaining their privacy is paramount. The present article presents a theoretical contribution, that is based on a review of relevant articles. It sets out to investigate the importance adolescents attribute to online privacy, which is likely to influence their willingness to disclose data. In line with a “new privacy paradox”, information disclosure is seen as unavoidable, given the centrality of social networks to adolescents’ lives. This goes hand in hand with individual privacy management. As individuals often lack knowledge as to how to protect their privacy, it is essential to educate the youth about their possibilities, equipping them with agency and self-responsibilization. This corresponds with a teen-centric approach to privacy as proposed by the TOSS framework.