Data Futures of Australian Children: Family Panel with Dr Anna Bunn

Whenever we use digital technologies, data is being generated about us. We are increasingly living in a datafied world – the quantification and reduction of our digital activities and interactions into data points which are used to speak about and for us – through the use of digital and surveillance technologies often in a bid to improve the efficiency of services, communication, etc. Children are no exception. With COVID-19, there was an increase in the use of digital technologies at home and in schools for various purposes from entertainment, connecting with family and friends to accessing essential services (e.g. healthcare) and the delivery of education. While these technologies have brought us convenience and joy, and are critical to organising our lives today, they also produce data about us and our children. How is this data used and who is it shared with? Is our children’s data safe? Datafication, where aspects of our lives are being quantified and used to speak for us, is an invisible risk that we take as we welcome the use of technologies each day.

This family panel is part of a series of discussions aimed at bringing experts, industry leaders and members of the Illawarra community together to discuss issues around data capturing and sharing practices in the use of digital technologies across different areas of children’s lives (e.g. healthcare, education, home). In doing so, we hope to provide the Illawarra community with an opportunity to talk about their use of digital technologies and consider the perils of datafication and digital profiling. It also hopes to shape the conversation around the data futures of Australian children by providing multiple, transdisciplinary perspectives on the topic.

Draft Program

Seminar: Dr Anna Bunn (Curtin University), an expert in privacy law and children’s rights, will give a 20-minute seminar on ‘Children’s Rights and Privacy in the Digital Age’. Anna is a member of the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child.
Family Panel: There will be a 40-minute panel discussion with Anna and invited speakers from our community. The panel will focus on family perspectives around the use of digital technologies and children’s data. The audience can ask questions and participate in the panel at this session.
Chat with an Expert: After the session, members of the audience can speak to one of our experts around managing the data privacy of their children.
Digital Playgroup: A digital playgroup session for children between ages 2 to 8 will run concurrently with the seminar and family panel in an adjacent room.
Light refreshments will be provided for the session.
You will receive a complimentary Discovery Space ticket at the event.