The booklet provides an accessible introduction to digital privacy for young people, explaining how personal data is collected, stored, and used across online platforms. It highlights the risks associated with social media, mobile apps, gaming platforms, and online communication, emphasizing how datafication, surveillance, and algorithmic profiling shape young people’s digital experiences.
The text outlines practical strategies for protecting privacy—such as managing permissions, strengthening passwords, limiting data sharing, and understanding platform settings—while also addressing broader structural issues, including cyberbullying, online harassment, gender‑based violence, and the exploitation of children’s data by commercial actors. The booklet situates privacy within a rights‑based framework, encouraging young people to recognise privacy as a fundamental digital right and to develop critical digital literacy. It concludes by advocating for safer digital environments through awareness, responsible platform design, and stronger regulatory protections.
This Digital Rights Foundation study examines young people's privacy experiences in online spaces in Pakistan through interviews and surveys with 30 participants aged 13-18. Findings from the study should be read alongside the understanding that by the authors' own admission, the study severely lacks systemic sampling and representation, with a majority of participants coming from upper (or upper-middle) class backgrounds from major cities. The study used mixed methods including "8 in-depth interviews, including one focus group discussion" and "22 survey responses" from participants aged 13-18 across major Pakistani cities (pg. 2). These limitations significantly impact the generalisability of findings, particularly regarding experiences of youth from lower socioeconomic backgrounds or rural areas.
The booklet provides an accessible introduction to digital privacy for young people, explaining how personal data is collected, stored, and used across online platforms. It highlights the risks associated with social media, mobile apps, gaming platforms, and online communication, emphasizing how datafication, surveillance, and algorithmic profiling shape young people’s digital experiences.
The text outlines practical strategies for protecting privacy—such as managing permissions, strengthening passwords, limiting data sharing, and understanding platform settings—while also addressing broader structural issues, including cyberbullying, online harassment, gender‑based violence, and the exploitation of children’s data by commercial actors. The booklet situates privacy within a rights‑based framework, encouraging young people to recognise privacy as a fundamental digital right and to develop critical digital literacy. It concludes by advocating for safer digital environments through awareness, responsible platform design, and stronger regulatory protections.
This Digital Rights Foundation study examines young people's privacy experiences in online spaces in Pakistan through interviews and surveys with 30 participants aged 13-18. Findings from the study should be read alongside the understanding that by the authors' own admission, the study severely lacks systemic sampling and representation, with a majority of participants coming from upper (or upper-middle) class backgrounds from major cities. The study used mixed methods including "8 in-depth interviews, including one focus group discussion" and "22 survey responses" from participants aged 13-18 across major Pakistani cities (pg. 2). These limitations significantly impact the generalisability of findings, particularly regarding experiences of youth from lower socioeconomic backgrounds or rural areas.
- data privacy data protection social media social media and networking
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