Bellbrae Primary School pupils work with Deakin on data privacy app

PUPILS from Bellbrae Primary School have helped design a new app that educates children about their online privacy by showing what happens to the data they share on popular social media platforms.
The FriendSend app aims to help young social media users navigate the challenges of developing a digital identity and managing personal data.
Project lead Dr Luci Pangrazio from Deakin University’s Centre for Research for Educational Impact, enlisted the help of the Grade 4, 5
and 6 pupils to develop the app and ensure its functionality.
“The students helped us design and name the app. They also took part in the trial and feedback stage, together with primary school students from the Escuela Primaria Urbana in Uruguay,” he said.
“Young people generate large amounts of personal data through their use of social media and we need them to better understand the risks and opportunities associated with social media use.
“Personal data is now routinely used to profile and predict behaviour, with the implications shaping young people’s social and educational futures and, potentially, life-long spending and lifestyle behaviours.
“A critical understanding of social media requires an understanding of the ‘back end’ or infrastructure of digital technology, particularly the way personal data, algorithms and automation mediate interactions and the circulation of content.”
FriendSend works by aggregating data such as chat, images and geolocations generated through social media sites and processes it using commercial data mining techniques and tools.
This personal data collection and processing is normally hidden from users, but the FriendSend app allows these processes to be visible to teachers and students.
With support from teachers, students create a profile and use the app for up to two weeks, generating personal data through the chat app, before chat, image and geolocational data are aggregated and processed using Google APIs.
Use of the app is complemented by Data Smart Kids workshops that develop understandings of social media, digital identities and personal data, as well as how to manage and protect privacy online.
Teachers can also prompt discussion or activities through a ‘send all’ function.
Bellbrae Primary School teacher Lauren White said Data Smart Kids helped pupils learn more about their personal online data, how apps tracked and processed locations and images, how they could protect their privacy online – and why they should.
“The workshops were fun and interesting, and the chat app provided a safe and hands-on experience to introduce students to communicating via social media.
“The program came at a really useful time for these students, who were starting to use social media, games and apps more frequently, and navigating appropriate and responsible behaviours online.”
Dr Pangrazio said most schools tended to focus on teaching cybersafety and promoting risk-averse behaviours.
“Given the increasing importance of digital media in all aspects of life and the complex, commercial orientation of much mainstream media including social media, cybersafety alone is not enough.”
Both FriendSend and the teacher guide and Powerpoint are free to download and use – head to datasmartkids.com.