ICO sets out priorities to protect children's privacy online

The UK's Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is urging social media and video-sharing platforms to enhance their data protection measures to ensure children's safety online, as part of its 2024-2025 priorities for safeguarding children's personal information. Since the introduction of its Children’s code of practice in 2021, the ICO has collaborated with online services to improve privacy protections for children, witnessing significant progress.

However, the ICO emphasizes the need for continued improvement in key areas such as default privacy and geolocation settings, profiling for targeted advertisements, and the use of children’s information in recommender systems.

Additionally, cooperation with other UK regulators and international counterparts is highlighted to raise global data protection standards for children's benefit. ICO Commissioner John Edwards will be attending the IAPP Global Privacy Summit 2024 in Washington DC to collaborate with regulators and tech companies, reinforcing regulatory expectations and priorities for children's privacy.