Mining PEW - Teens and Mobile Apps Privacy

Cortesi, S., Gasser, U., Lenhart, A., & Madden, M. (2013).  Teens and mobile apps    
       privacy.  Pew Research Center, 1-20.  Retrieved from:  http://pewinternet.org/Reports
       /2013/Teens-and-Mobile-Apps-Privacy.aspx

     Today,  with the ever increase use of smartphones among teenagers, there is a concern about teens downloading applications with the cost of divulging their personal information.  In a survey done by the Pew Research Center, it has been found that increasing amount of teens are being wary about downloading apps that tap into their privacy.

     In this research from 2013, 802 teens were surveyed between the ages of 12-17.  Out of those teens, it was found that 58% of teens have downloaded an app to their cell phone or tablet computer.  I find this number kind of low since I see my students constantly downloading apps on their phones.  I am constantly asked if I have this game or this app downloaded on my phone.  According to this survey, about 78% of teens have cell phones and 23% have computer tablets.  The downloading of apps to either device does not vary.  

     I was not surprised to learn from this research that the apps that were downloaded the most were the free ones.  According to the teenagers that were surveyed, they said that they downloaded the free apps because they wanted to try out the software first, and if it didn't work, they could just delete it.  Some said that many times, they did not have the money to download the apps so they just stuck to the free ones.

"You can't be sure if it's going to be a good app but if it's free, you can just delete it." - Female (age 13)

"A lot of the times I don't have money [to download an app that costs money], so it [downloading the free one] is my only option." - Female (age 12)

Teens also download the free apps because they do not need their parents permission to download a free app, but if it costs money they do, so they just download the free ones.

     One of the things that was surveyed in this research project and that put my mind a bit at ease was that teens were actually being careful about giving apps to use their personal

information.  According the this research, 51% of teens opted not to install certain apps that required that they share their personal information.  The younger teens between the ages of 12 to 13 were more likely not to download an app if it compromised their privacy.  Also, in this research, it was found that 26% of teens would delete apps if they later found that they had to give up their personal information.

     According to the research, about 46% of teens have turned off their location services settings on their phones because they are worried that other people or companies accessing their information.  Unfortunately, the people that they do not want to find their

location is their parents.  In another research, Pew Research Center, found that half of the parents of teens who own a cell phone monitor their child's location in some way.  I, honestly, feel that if the child does not want the parent to know their location, they should not own a phone at all.  The way the world today, it is important to know where your children are.  

     I feel that if a parent is going to allow a teen to own a cell phone, they should educate them properly as to what is available to them and how some apps require personal information in order for a person to use them, especially the free apps.  I think if they are aware of the consequences of letting a company use their information, they will be able to make the right decision when downloading an app.  They also need to be taught to deny a service they do not know permission to get their location information.  I think when a teen is aware of what app companies can do and what the parent's position on these apps, they will be able to make the proper decisions when it comes to sharing their personal information on the internet.

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