Child Welfare League: Electronic Nannies a Growing Concern, 36% of Rural Students at Risk of Personal Data Exposure

Taipei, July 6 (CNA) The Child Welfare League Foundation (CWLF) stated today that over 85% of rural students own personal 3C devices and use social media platforms, with usage rates on platforms like Douyin and Xiaohongshu being twice that of their urban counterparts. Approximately 36% of rural students are facing a crisis of personal data exposure.

The Child Welfare League Foundation conducted the "2026 Taiwan Urban-Rural Children's Living Welfare Survey" from December 8, 2023, to February 6, 2024, targeting elementary school students in grades 4 to 6 in rural and urban areas. A results press conference was held today.

According to the survey, parents in both urban and rural areas are struggling with digital parenting, "providing devices but lacking proper oversight." Regardless of location, nearly 30% of students have been approached by strangers online, indicating that the risks of online friendships are prevalent across both urban and rural areas.

The CWLF analysis shows that urban students are more likely to encounter financial traps, with about 13% having been asked to pay for in-game items. Rural students, on the other hand, are deeply mired in privacy crises, with 36% experiencing "personal data exposure" online. Not only are they unknowingly revealing personal information, but the risks of strangers requesting photos or demanding video calls are also significantly higher.

On the other hand, the summer activities of urban and rural students show a disparity. The survey indicates that during the long break, nearly 40% to 50% of urban children's schedules are filled with diverse activities such as after-school programs, talent classes, or domestic and international travel. Rural children, apart from participating in school camps, spend most of their time in a long holiday vacuum with a lack of companionship.

Consequently, rural parents rely on "electronic nannies" for their children, leading to rural children and adolescents spending an average of over 20.8 hours online per week, nearly double that of urban children.

The CWLF stated that over 85% of rural students own personal 3C devices and use social media platforms. Besides similar rates of mobile game usage between urban and rural areas, rural students' usage rates on platforms such as Douyin, Facebook, Instagram, Xiaohongshu, and Threads are about twice that of urban students.

The survey found that 45% of rural children and adolescents admitted, "I didn't originally plan to use it, but I often can't help but pick up my phone to scroll." The incidence of physical discomfort such as eye strain and muscle soreness reached 25%, and over 20% of rural children and adolescents experience anxiety signals such as "feeling restless and irritable when unable to use social media."

The CWLF calls on the government to add a special chapter on "Children and Adolescents' Communication Rights and Privacy Protection" during the amendment of the "Children and Adolescents Welfare and Rights Protection Act." This chapter should stipulate that online platform operators should conduct risk assessments and reporting for children and adolescents, implement "safe design principles" and "principles for the collection of personal data of children and adolescents," and establish cross-departmental "impact assessments on children's rights" and "complaint and immediate loss mitigation mechanisms" to expand the protective net for children's digital safety. (Editor: Guan Zhong-wei) 1150706

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