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Awa eness o digi al comme cial p o iling among adolescen s in Finland and hei
pe spec i es on online a ge ed ad e isemen s
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S i as a a, Sonali; Wilska, Te hi-Anna; Ny hinen, Jussi
S i as a a, S., Wilska, T.-A., & Ny hinen, J. (2023). Awa eness o digi al comme cial p o iling
among adolescen s in Finland and hei pe spec i es on online a ge ed ad e isemen s. Jou nal
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Awa eness o digi al comme cial p o iling among
adolescen s in Finland and hei pe spec i es on
online a ge ed ad e isemen s
Sonali S i as a a, Te hi-Anna Wilska & Jussi Ny hinen
To ci e his a icle: Sonali S i as a a, Te hi-Anna Wilska & Jussi Ny hinen (04 Oc 2023):
Awa eness o digi al comme cial p o iling among adolescen s in Finland and hei
pe spec i es on online a ge ed ad e isemen s, Jou nal o Child en and Media, DOI:
10.1080/17482798.2023.2257813
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© 2023 The Au ho (s). Published by In o ma
UK Limi ed, ading as Taylo & F ancis
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Published online: 04 Oc 2023.
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Awa eness o digi al comme cial p o iling among adolescen s
in Finland and hei pe spec i es on online a ge ed
ad e isemen s
Sonali S i as a a , Te hi-Anna Wilska and Jussi Ny hinen
Depa men o Social Sciences and Philosophy, Uni e si y o Jy äskylä, Jy äskylä, Finland
ABSTRACT
This s udy explo es adolescen s’ awa eness o he sou ces ha
in o m online p o iling and hei pe spec i es on online a ge ed
ad e isemen s. I employs hema ic analysis o analyse eigh
ocus g oup discussions (N = 38) wi h adolescen s (13–16 yea s)
in Finland’s capi al egion. The s udy ad ances esea ch on ado-
lescen s’ knowledge o he da a ga he ed o online p o iling by
highligh ing ha adolescen s in e ha apa om p e ious
online ac i i ies, da a on hei e bal con e sa ions also in o m
a ge ed ad e isemen s. The s udy also ad ances esea ch on
adolescen s’ pe spec i es on online a ge ed ad e isemen s by
iden i ying ha adolescen s’ p i acy expec a ions in he con ex
o a ge ed ad e isemen s a e ha da a should no be collec ed
wi hou hei awa eness and comme cial en i ies should no use
da a on p e ious con e sa ions o p o iling. This s udy also
pinpoin s ha online p o iling gi es some adolescen s a p i acy-
in asi e eeling o being obse ed, and o he s ha e a bounda y
un il which hey conside online da a collec ion o p o iling
pe missible. Mo eo e , some adolescen s exp ess ambi alen
iews on online a ge ed ad e isemen s. The indings e lec
some adolescen s’ accep ance o online p o iling and knowledge
gaps ha can in o m media li e acy educa o s. The indings aise
conce ns abou he opaci y o online comme cial da a-ga he ing
p ac ices. The e o e, we u ge co po a ions o demys i y hei da a
collec ion p ocesses.
IMPACT SUMMARY
P io s a e o knowledge: P e ious esea ch shows ha some
adolescen s ind online p o iling, which o ms he basis o online
a ge ed ad e isemen s, p i acy-in asi e. Howe e , why adoles-
cen s ind ce ain a ge ed ad e isemen s mo e p i acy-in asi e
and o he s less in usi e is unde explo ed.
No el con ibu ion: Adolescen s ind online a ge ed ad e ise-
men s ha d aw on hei p e ious e bal con e sa ions mo e p i -
acy-in asi e han hose based on hei p io online ac i i ies,which
ARTICLE HISTORY
Recei ed 12 Oc obe 2022
Re ised 6 Sep embe 2023
Accep ed 7 Sep embe 2023
KEYWORDS
Child en; online p o iling;
a ge ed ad e isemen s;
online p i acy; su eillance
CONTACT Sonali S i as a a [email p o ec ed] Depa men o Social Sciences and Philosophy, Uni e si y
o Jy äskylä, Jy äskylä, Finland
JOURNAL OF CHILDREN AND MEDIA
h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/17482798.2023.2257813
© 2023 The Au ho (s). Published by In o ma UK Limi ed, ading as Taylo & F ancis G oup.
This is an Open Access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion License (h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/
licenses/by/4.0/), which pe mi s un es ic ed use, dis ibu ion, and ep oduc ion in any medium, p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly
ci ed. The e ms on which his a icle has been published allow he pos ing o he Accep ed Manusc ip in a eposi o y by he au ho (s) o
wi h hei consen .
e lec s hei p i acy expec a ions in he con ex o online a ge ed
ad e isemen s.
P ac ical implica ions: Ou indings e lec ha some adolescen s
ega d he acking o hei online ac i i ies by comme cial en i ies
as no mal o pe missible. Media li e acy educa o s can use hese
esul s and de ise educa ional p og ams o coun e adolescen s’
pe missi e a i udes.
In oduc ion
Adolescen s a e ac i e use s o a ious digi al pla o ms (Li ings one e al., 2019;
S oilo a e al., 2019a), and la ge amoun s o use da a a e collec ed on hese pla o ms
(Li ings one e al., 2019). Obse e s con end ha Ins ag am and Facebook e en ack
use s’ ac i i ies on o he apps, websi es and o line s o es (Fowle , 2021). Acco ding o
Simone Van de Ho ’s (2016) da a ypology, some o he da a collec ed in digi al
en i onmen s is p o ided knowingly o olun a ily by use s, o ins ance, h ough
he con en hey sha e and hei p o ile de ails. Van de Ho no es ha a la ge
chunk o da a is also “gi en o ” by use s unknowingly o in olun a ily. Fo example,
in o ma ion on loca ion, b owsing his o y, likes, clicks, ime spen iewing a pos ,
e ce e a. Bo h kinds o da a and possibly da a om o he sou ces a e agg ega ed
and analysed o gene a e use s’ p o iles, and p o iling o ms he basis o he a ge ed
ad e isemen s use s ecei e on digi al pla o ms (Van de Ho , 2016). Online a ge ed
ad e isemen s a e “any o m o online ad e ising ha is based on in o ma ion he
ad e ise has abou he ad e ising ecipien , such as demog aphics, cu en o pas
b owsing o pu chase beha iou , in o ma ion om p e e ence su eys, and geog aphic
in o ma ion” (Schumann e al., 2014, p. 59).
When i comes o adolescen s, online p o iling and a ge ed ad e isemen s ha e
b oadly aised h ee main conce ns. Fi s , ela ed o adolescen s’ abili y o c i ically
e alua e he pe suasi e in en o a ge ed ad e isemen s (Za ouali e al., 2020).
Secondly, he online da a collec ion p ac ices unde pinning p o iling can h ea en ado-
lescen s’ p i acy (S oilo a e al., 2019a), and epo s o possible da a secu i y b eaches by
popula apps like TikTok u he exace ba e p i acy h ea s (Milmo, 2023). Las ly, p o iling
can lead o ad e isemen s and con en being a ge ed based on use s’ p e ious online
ac ions, hus educing hei exposu e o new ideas and choices, which in e e es wi h
adolescen s’ igh o ecei e in o ma ion and eedom o hough as gua an eed in a icles
13 and 14, espec i ely, o he Uni ed Na ions Con en ion on he Righ s o he Child
(UNCRC) (Milkai e & Lie ens, 2019).
Howe e , adolescen s’ pe spec i es on comme cial p o iling and subsequen a ge ing
in digi al en i onmen s a e unde explo ed (S oilo a e al., 2019b). Explo ing adolescen s’
pe spec i es can help unde s and wha bene i s and ha ms hey iden i y in such p ac ices,
hus p o iding aluable insigh s in o adolescen s’ unde s anding o hese issues. Gi en
ha online da a collec ion p ac ices a e la gely opaque (Li ings one e al., 2019), any
c i ical e alua ion o online p o iling and a ge ing by adolescen s equi es, i s and
o emos , an awa eness o he online da a collec ion ha p ecedes p o iling (Za ouali
e al., 2020).
2S. SRIVASTAVA ET AL.
P e ious s udies on adolescen s’ knowledge o he da a ga he ed o comme cial
p o iling (Hol oe e al., 2021; Keen, 2020) had dispa a e esul s. P e ious esea ch
explo ing adolescen s’ pe spec i es on online a ge ed ad e isemen s has ound ha
some adolescen s conside ed online p o iling p i acy-in asi e (S oilo a e al., 2019a).
Howe e , why hey ound p o iling p i acy-in asi e is no explained. Mo eo e , why
adolescen s ind ce ain a ge ed ad e isemen s mo e p i acy-in asi e and o he s less
in usi e and wha p i acy expec a ions in he con ex o a ge ed ad e isemen s does
ha e lec is unde explo ed. Unde s anding he la e can p o ide some insigh s abou (i)
he collec ion o which o wha use da a adolescen s ind accep able o p o iling
pu poses and (ii) wha hei expe iences o p i acy-in asi eness depend on in he con ex
o a ge ed ad e isemen s. The p esen s udy ies o add ess he abo e-men ioned gaps
by del ing deepe in o adolescen s’ pe spec i es on online a ge ed ad e isemen s. The
s udy has wo aims. Fi s , i in es iga es which da a do adolescen s hink in o m hei
online p o iles. Nex , i explo es adolescen s’ pe spec i es on online a ge ed
ad e isemen s.
The da a consis s o eigh ocus g oup discussions (FGDs) (N = 38) conduc ed wi h
adolescen s aged 13–16 yea s in schools ac oss Finland’s capi al egion. “Media (digi al,
da a and c i ical) li e acy” can play a signi ican ole in imp o ing adolescen s’ unde -
s anding o he comme cial epu posing o hei da a in digi al en i onmen s (S oilo a
e al., 2019a, p. 43). Finland has a s ong adi ion o media li e acy educa ion and is o en
ega ded as an ideal example in his espec (Fo sman, 2020), hus making i an in e es ing
con ex o his s udy.
F aming gaps in p e ious li e a u e
P e ious esea ch explo ing adolescen s’ knowledge o online da a collec ion shows ha
adolescen s obse e ha hei p e ious online ac ions a e connec ed o he a ge ed
ad e isemen s hey ecei e (Hol oe e al., 2021; Keen, 2020). Keen (2020) has employed
quali a i e in e iews wi h adolescen s (12–16 yea s) o explo e hei knowledge o he
da a collec ed o comme cial p o iling and he ha ms hey pe cei e om i . Keen (2020)
no es ha adolescen s knew ha hei loca ion da a and p o ile de ails a e used o hei
online p o iling. In con as , Hol oe e al.’s (2021) s udy, which uses FGDs wi h adoles-
cen s (12–14 yea s) o explo e hei p i acy managemen p ac ices based on hei knowl-
edge o online da a ga he ing, has somewha di e en indings. While some o hei
pa icipan s unde s ood ha ad e ise s collec ed loca ion in o ma ion o pe sonalise
ad e isemen s, hey a ely men ioned ha de ails p o ided while egis e ing in o apps
we e also used o p o iling (Hol oe e al., 2021). Some pa icipan s in hei s udy hough
“ea esd opping h ough buil -in mic ophones” on de ices con ibu ed o a ge ed ad e -
isemen s, bu mos did no belie e he la e o be ue (Hol oe e al., 2021, p. 320).
Gi en he opaci y o online da a collec ion me hods (Li ings one e al., 2019), o
adolescen s o c i ically e alua e online p o iling and a ge ing, hey should i s be
awa e o he p eceding online use da a collec ion (Za ouali e al., 2020). In o he
wo ds, be o e in es iga ing i adolescen s conside online p o iling and a ge ing p oble-
ma ic o p i acy-in asi e, i is impo an o ind ou i hey a e e en awa e ha hey a e
su eilled in digi al en i onmen s because online da a collec ion p ocesses a e no
anspa en . The e o e, ou i s esea ch ques ion is:
JOURNAL OF CHILDREN AND MEDIA 3

RQ1: Which use da a do adolescen s hink ge s collec ed o hei online p o iling and
subsequen a ge ing?
P e ious esea ch has also in es iga ed adolescen s’ pe spec i es on online a ge ed
ad e isemen s. Resea ch in o med by de elopmen al psychology has ocused on he
age a which adolescen s s a de eloping ad e ising li e acy. Ad e ising li e acy is
de ined as he abili y o unde s and and c i ically e alua e he pe suasi e in en o
ad e ising messages (Hudde s e al., 2017). A su ey conduc ed among adolescen s
(12–17 yea s) shows ha olde adolescen s (aged 16 yea s) possess mo e ad anced c i ical
p ocessing abili ies agains a ge ed ad e isemen s (Za ouali e al., 2020).
Besides ad e ising li e acy, adolescen s also need o unde s and how he co e
online da a ga he ing p ac ices behind a ge ed ad e isemen s can h ea en hei p i -
acy (Za ouali e al., 2020). As no ed abo e, Keen’s (2020) s udy also explo ed adolescen s’
concep ualisa ion o ha m om online comme cial su eillance. Keen ound ha adoles-
cen s conside ed online a ge ed ad e isemen s help ul because hey helped hem ind
sui able p oduc s. In Keen’s (2020) s udy, mos adolescen s did no ind p o iling and
a ge ed ad e isemen s p i acy-in asi e. While some adolescen s we e uncom o able
abou companies collec ing loca ion da a, hei conce ns cen ed a ound pe sonal sa e y,
e lec ing ha hey we e bo he ed abou hei “physio-spa ial” p i acy (Keen, 2020, p. 15).
S oilo a e al. (2019a) ha e used FGDs o ga he adolescen s’ (11–16 yea s) pe spec-
i es on online p o iling and a ge ing. Some o hei pa icipan s us ed amilia com-
panies o keep hei da a sa e. Mo eo e , only a ew pa icipan s in hei s udy discussed
he long- e m ami ica ions o online p o iling and a ge ing in educing hei exposu e o
new choices. S oilo a e al. (2019a) also ound ha some imes younge pa icipan s we e
mo e o equally awa e o p i acy issues compa ed o olde ones, hus leading he
esea che s o obse e ha he e is no speci ic age a which a new le el o unde s anding
is eached, and age canno be he sole de e minan o p i acy-knowledge. In hei s udy,
some adolescen s exp essed a sense o c eepiness abou being p o iled online. E-sa e y
ha ms like hacking we e adolescen s’ p ima y conce ns, e en in ela ion o online com-
me cial su eillance. Da a leaks and misuse we e emo e conce ns in he comme cial
con ex , al hough adolescen s we e awa e o hese possibili ies (S oilo a e al., 2019a).
While S oilo a e al. (2019a) highligh he isks adolescen s conside ed, hey do no
explain why adolescen s ound online da a collec ion and p o iling c eepy o p i acy-
in asi e.
Va ious heo ies ha e been used o explain use s’ expe iences o p i acy in asi eness.
Phelan e al. (2016) ha e used he social p esence heo y o explain use s’ (unde g adua e
s uden s a a uni e si y) nega i e esponses o online da a collec ion and a ge ed
ad e isemen s. The heo y p oposes ha use s conside compu e s human agen s and
desc ibe online da a collec ion as c eepy because use s eel ha hey a e “being wa ched”
(Phelan e al., 2016, p. 5246). Su an o e al. (2013) explain (adul ) consume s’ esponses o
a ge ed ad e isemen s by using Pe onio’s (1991) in o ma ion bounda y heo y, which
p oposes ha people ha e men al bounda ies beyond which hey ega d in o ma ion
sha ing p i acy-in asi e. They show ha consume s ind he collec ion and use o hei
da a o p o iling and a ge ing in usi e beyond a ce ain poin . I he collec ion o ce ain
in o ma ion is conside ed uncom o able, consume s expe ience p i acy ansg essions
(Su an o e al., 2013). Howe e , o ou knowledge, he heo ies men ioned abo e ha e no
4S. SRIVASTAVA ET AL.
been used o explain adolescen s’ (13–16 yea s) expe iences o p i acy in asi eness,
which could di e om ha o adul s (bo h young and old) due o a ied awa eness
le els and de elopmen al di e ences.
P e ious esea ch conce ning adolescen s’ pe spec i es on online p o iling and a ge -
ing has also no explo ed why adolescen s ind ce ain online a ge ed ad e isemen s
mo e p i acy-in asi e han o he s and wha ha e lec s abou hei p i acy expec a ions
in he con ex o online a ge ed ad e isemen s. The social con ac app oach o p i acy
emphasises he impo ance o implici ag eemen s in any con ex (Ma in, 2016). Ma in
(2016) uses he social con ac na a i e o de elop a amewo k o iden i ying use s’
online p i acy expec a ions and he cause o p i acy iola ions. Acco ding o his ame-
wo k, “p ocedu al con ac no ms” o no ice and choice ( o example, h ough p i acy
no i ica ions) a e essen ial bu no he only way o mee use s’ p i acy expec a ions.
Ma in p oposes ha in any con ex , “mic o p i acy no ms” abou wha use da a (in o -
ma ion ype) will be used, how i will be used and who will ha e access o use s’
in o ma ion also guide use s’ p i acy expec a ions. Use s expe ience p i acy ansg es-
sions i online da a collec o s iola e “p ocedu al con ac no ms” o make changes in he
“mic ocon ac ” no ms (Ma in, 2016, pp. 557–559). To ou knowledge, p e ious esea ch
has no explo ed adolescen s’ p i acy expec a ions in he con ex o online a ge ed
ad e isemen s, and he social con ac amewo k has no been employed o unpack
hese expec a ions.
To add ess gaps in he exis ing li e a u e discussed abo e, he p esen s udy del es
deepe in o adolescen s’ pe spec i es on online a ge ed ad e ising. The second
esea ch ques ion and sub-ques ions a e:
RQ 2: Wha a e adolescen s’ pe spec i es on online a ge ed ad e isemen s?
RQ 2.1: Wha a e he bene i s and disad an ages o a ge ed ad e isemen s, acco ding o
adolescen s?
RQ 2.2: Why do adolescen s ind online da a collec ion and p o iling o a ge ed ad e ising
p i acy-in asi e?
RQ 2.3: Wha a e adolescen s’ p i acy expec a ions in he con ex o online a ge ed
ad e isemen s?
Ma e ials and me hods
This a icle uses da a om eigh FGDs conduc ed in schools in Finland’s capi al a ea o
explo e adolescen s’ knowledge o being p o iled online, hei nego ia ion o online
comme cial p i acy and hei pe spec i es on a ge ed ad e isemen s. Explo ing chil-
d en’s and young people’s pe spec i es in ol es ocusing on hei ways o unde s anding
hei li es and su oundings (Halldén, 2003 ci ed in Spa man, 2009). We a e guided by
his idea and ha e used i o explo e adolescen s’ ways o in e p e ing hei online
en i onmen . FGDs a e ideal o ga he ing adolescen s’ pe spec i es as hey enable
hem o engage in con e sa ions on a gi en opic (Ho ne , 2000). The e o e, we chose
FGDs as he me hod o da a collec ion.
JOURNAL OF CHILDREN AND MEDIA 5
Sample
The digi al age o consen is he minimum age a use mus a ain be o e o ganisa ions can
collec , p ocess and s o e hei da a wi hou pa en al app o al (Pasquale e al., 2020).
Al hough he GDPR ecommends he digi al age o consen o lie be ween 13 and 16, he
age o digi al consen in Finland is 13 yea s (Li ings one, 2018). The e o e, he sample
consis ed o adolescen s aged 13–16 yea s. The e we e 38 pa icipan s (14 boys and 24
gi ls), and all he pa icipan s we e ec ui ed by hei schools. The h ee schools ha
pa icipa ed in ou s udy a e somewha di e se. One school ca e s o pupils om all ac oss
Helsinki. The o he wo schools in i e s uden s om he pupil ca chmen a ea. One o
hese wo schools is loca ed in a dis ic whe e he a e age annual income is highe han
in he Helsinki capi al egion in gene al. The o he school is in a dis ic wi h an a e age
yea ly income lowe han in he capi al egion.
Since small g oup sizes o 4–6 adolescen s a e ecommended because hey simula e
e e yday pee g oup in e ac ions (Ede & Finge son, 2002), each g oup consis ed o 4–6
pa icipan s. Ou o eigh FGDs, i e FGDs we e conduc ed in Finnish and h ee in English.
English was used in h ee FGDs because he school was bilingual (Finnish and English).
Pupils a ending bilingual schools a e usually om a ious na ionali ies. Fo de ails on
g oup composi ion and he language used in each FGD, please e e o Table 1. Du ing he
con e sa ions, he pa icipan s in one g oup in o med us ha hey had ecen ly a ended
a school lesson on online p i acy managemen . The da a collec ion ook place om
Decembe 2020 o May 2021.
The ocus g oup discussions
As ou lined in he guidelines o he esponsible conduc o esea ch in Finland
o mula ed by he Finnish Na ional Boa d on Resea ch In eg i y (2019), in o med
consen was ga he ed om adolescen s aged 15 yea s and abo e and om hei
pa en s i pa icipan s we e unde 15 yea s. Two esea che s we e p esen in e e y
FGD. One ac ed as he mode a o , while he o he mainly obse ed. To ensu e
a clea unde s anding o in o med consen , he consen e ms we e epea ed
be o e ini ia ing he FGDs. Since he school en i onmen can make pa icipan s
eel hey a e being assessed, esea che s mus emphasise ha he e a e no co ec
o inco ec answe s (Punch, 2002). Gibson (2012) ecommends laying ou g ound
ules like allowing e e yone o speak and espec ing e e yone’s opinions. We
highligh ed hese poin s be o e s a ing he FGDs. The a e age leng h o an FGD
was 50 minu es.
Table 1. Summa y o g oup composi ion.
Pa icipan s pe school Language o FGD G oup Boys Gi ls Age (Yea s)
School 1, o al pa icipan s = 14 English G oup 1 1 4 13–14
G oup 2 2 3 14–15
G oup 3 2 2 15–16
School 2, o al pa icipan s = 13 Finnish G oup 4 0 4 15–16
G oup 5 3 1 15–16
G oup 6 2 3 15–16
School 3, o al pa icipan s = 11 Finnish G oup 7 2 3 14–15
G oup 8 2 4 15–16
6S. SRIVASTAVA ET AL.
Sc eensho s o a ge ed ad e isemen s on Ins ag am we e used o ini ia e he discus-
sion. We showed he pa icipan s sc eensho s o wo a ge ed ad e isemen s om
sepa a e Ins ag am accoun s. One om he esea che ’s accoun and one om an ado-
lescen ’s accoun (a e anonymising i ). The aim o showing ad e isemen s om wo
sepa a e accoun s was wo- old. One, o ini ia e discussions on a ge ed ad e isemen s
and asce ain i he pa icipan s ecognised hem. Second, o in es iga e wha he
pa icipan s hough abou di e en use s ecei ing di e en ad e isemen s. In o he
wo ds, we wan ed o explo e i he pa icipan s unde s ood why di e en use s ecei e
di e en a ge ed ad e isemen s and i hey conside ed i p oblema ic in any way. Each
FGD was unique, and we asked some ques ions based on he discussions. Some p obes
we used du ing he discussions we e: (i) How do you eel abou apps knowing some hing
abou you so ha hey can sugges ad e isemen s o you, (ii) why do you hink di e en
people ge di e en a ge ed ad e isemen s, and (iii) do you hink a ge ed ad e ise-
men s could ha e some bad sides? To a oid in luencing pa icipan s’ accoun s, we
e ained om using wo ds like p i acy, ha m and h ea . We asked hem o elabo a e
on hei conce ns only when he pa icipan s used hese wo ds.
Du ing he FGDs, we also asked he pa icipan s o do a wo kshee .
1
On he wo kshee ,
we asked he pa icipan s o lis all he sou ces om whe e hey hough apps ge
in o ma ion abou use s. We wan ed o ind ou i he pa icipan s lis sou ces ha include
da a sha ed knowingly ( o ins ance, p o ile de ails), unknowingly o da a ha ge s
acked as opposed o use s explici ly gi ing ha da a ( o example, da a on wha use s
wa ch, like, hei sea ch his o y) and da a om any o he sou ces. This helped us asce ain
i he pa icipan s knew ha hei online ac ions we e acked and o med he basis o
a ge ed ad e isemen s and which ac i i ies hey hough go eco ded. The pa icipan s
chose o do he wo kshee s in pai s o as a g oup. We also discussed hei lis s a e hey
inished he wo kshee s so ha he pa icipan s could u he elabo a e upon hei
obse a ions.
Analysis s a egy
The audio eco ded FGDs we e ansc ibed and anonymised. Pseudonyms ha e been
used while quo ing he pa icipan s. T ansc ip ions and i ems lis ed on he wo kshee in
Finnish we e ansla ed in o English. The da a was analysed using he six-s ep hema ic
analysis (B aun & Cla ke, 2006). These six s eps include (i) amilia isa ion wi h he da a, (ii)
gene a ing ini ial codes, (iii) sea ching o hemes, (i ) e iewing hemes, ( ) de ining and
naming hemes and ( i) p oducing he epo (B aun & Cla ke, 2006). A e unde aking
mul iple eadings o he ansc ip s, he da a was coded. A heo e ical app oach o coding
whe ein one codes he da a wi h speci ic esea ch ques ions in mind (B aun & Cla ke,
2006) was adop ed. The codes and accompanying da a ex ac s we e colla ed oge he o
sea ch o hemes. The hemes we e e iewed mul iple imes a e eading he codes and
accompanying da a ex ac s.
JOURNAL OF CHILDREN AND MEDIA 7
hey co espond wi h hei in e es s and could en ice hem o buy hose p oduc s.
Za ouali e al. (2020) ound ha olde adolescen s (aged abou 16 yea s) a e be e a
c i ically e alua ing he pe suasi e in en o a ge ed ad e ising messages. Al hough
he adolescen s who discussed his in ou s udy we e olde (15–16 yea s), we also had
some pa icipan s om his age g oup who app ecia ed he accu acy o a ge ed
ad e isemen s wi hou much c i ical e lec ion. I is possible ha hese pa icipan s
knew abou online a ge ed ad e isemen ’s pe suasi e in en bu did no discuss i
du ing he FGDs. Ne e heless, based on ou indings, we canno conclusi ely sugges
ha age in luences adolescen s’ c i ical abili ies owa ds a ge ed ad e ising. In ou
esea ch, a ew pa icipan s discussed he long- e m implica ions o online comme cial
p o iling and a ge ing in hinde ing no el pe spec i es. S oilo a e al. (2019a) had
simila indings.
Like in Keen’s (2020) esea ch, some o ou pa icipan s as well did no conside online
p o iling dis u bing. The e seemed o be wo easons o i . Fi s ly, akin o S oilo a e al.’s
(2019a) indings, a ew o ou pa icipan s also us ed amilia apps. Addi ionally, we
ound ha a ew adolescen s conside ed online p o iling nonin usi e because hey
seemed com o able wi h a ce ain amoun o hei online da a being ga he ed. This
could be a e lec ion o he in o ma ion bounda y heo y, which p oposes ha consume s
ha e men al h esholds beyond which hey conside online da a collec ion p i acy-
in asi e (Su an o e al., 2013).
Cong uen wi h S oilo a e al.’s (2019a) esul s, some pa icipan s in ou s udy as well
ound he p o iling unde lying a ge ed ad e isemen s c eepy and iden i ied da a hack-
ing and misuse as possible isks. Like in Keen’s (2020) s udy, a ew o ou pa icipan s also
exp essed unease o e he collec ion o loca ion da a, e lec ing hey alued hei physio-
spa ial p i acy. Addi ionally, we ound ha some adolescen s ound online p o iling
c eepy because i ga e hem a eeling o being obse ed. This could be explained by
he social p esence heo y, which p oposes ha indi iduals ea compu e s as human
agen s and online su eillance o en gi es use s eelings akin o being obse ed (Phelan
e al., 2016). Bo h younge and olde pa icipan s in ou s udy exp essed discom o wi h
online p o iling, which con o ms wi h S oilo a e al.‘s (2019a) obse a ion ha he e is no
speci ic age a which adolescen s’ p i acy awa eness de elops. Howe e , gi en ha he
age a iance among ou limi ed numbe o 38 pa icipan s was only h ee yea s and he e
we e ewe pa icipan s aged 13–14 yea s (Table 1), we canno conclusi ely sugges ha
age does no impac p i acy awa eness. Mo eo e , o a oid in luencing pa icipan s’
esponses, we did no use wo ds like “p i acy” and “ h ea s” bu discussed u he when
pa icipan s exp essed p i acy conce ns. Due o he absence o any di ec ques ioning, we
canno make claims on all pa icipan s’ p i acy awa eness.
Fu he mo e, we ound ha some adolescen s conside ed online a ge ed ad e ise-
men s help ul bu also conce ning. Adolescen s’ non-dicho omous iews indica e ha
hey acknowledge he p i acy in asi eness o p o iling bu also app ecia e ele an
ad e isemen s and con en .
Pa icipan s’ p i acy expec a ions and online a ge ing based on oice da a
Addi ionally, we iden i ied ha adolescen s ega ded a ge ed ad e ising based on
p e ious e bal con e sa ions ( eco ded by de ices o apps) as mo e p i acy-in asi e
14 S. SRIVASTAVA ET AL.

han ad e isemen s based on p e ious online ac i i ies. They ga e wo easons o
eeling so. One, because hei consen was no sough in case o he eco ding o
con e sa ions. Ano he ela ed eason hey iden i ied o eeling pe u bed was ha
when da a on hei online ac i i ies ge s collec ed, hey eel hey a e awa e and, he e o e,
ha e a highe sense o con ol. Whe eas, in he case o oice da a being eco ded, hey a e
unawa e and canno con ol he in o ma ion hey gi e away.
When we apply he social con ac amewo k (Ma in, 2016) o adolescen s’ pe spec-
i es, we can pinpoin ha online a ge ed ad e isemen s based on oice da a a e seen
as mo e p i acy-in asi e because he p ocedu al no ms o no ice and choice a e dis e-
spec ed as oice da a is eco ded wi hou adolescen s’ awa eness o consen and changes
a e also made o he mic o p i acy no ms ega ding wha da a is used when da a on
p e ious con e sa ions ( oice da a) is u ilised o p o iling, as illus a ed in Figu e 1. This
shows ha in he con ex o online a ge ed ad e isemen s, adolescen s’ p i acy expec-
a ions a e ha da a should no be collec ed wi hou hei awa eness and oice da a
should no be used o p o iling. The o me indica es ha adolescen s’ expe iences o
p i acy in asi eness om a ge ed ad e isemen s depend on how da a o p o iling ge s
collec ed, and he la e sugges s ha he moni o ing o p e ious online ac ions is
expec ed o “no mal” and hence pe missible.
Figu e 1. Applying Ma in’s (2016) social con ac amewo k o unpack p i acy iola ions in oice
based a ge ed ad e isemen .
JOURNAL OF CHILDREN AND MEDIA 15
Implica ions
Rega ding he su eillance o hei p e ious online ac i i ies as “no mal” indica es an accep-
ance o his p ac ice by some adolescen s, e en hough i is highly p i acy-in asi e. Mo eo e ,
when adolescen s’ conce n cen es on how da a ge s collec ed o p o iling a he han on he
in usi e p ac ice o online p o iling, hey a e mo e likely o accep he la e unc i ically. A ew
adolescen s ound a ge ed ad e isemen s help ul bu also conce ning, which could be
in e p e ed in wo ways. I can be ega ded as an acknowledgemen o he p i acy-
in asi eness o comme cial su eillance. Howe e , he app ecia ion o ele an ad e isemen s
o con en could also indica e an accep ance o p o iling. Pe missi e a i udes could lead o
comme cial su eillance emaining unques ioned by adolescen s, hus highligh ing he need
o coun e pe missi eness by aising adolescen s’ awa eness o he ami ica ions o such
p ac ices.
The inding also aises conce ns abou he opaci y o online comme cial su eillance.
Whe he companies lis en o p i a e con e sa ions and a ge use s wi h ad e isemen s
emains an open ques ion, and s udies ha e bo h suppo ed and denied such claims
(K öge & Raschke, 2019). Mo eo e , he e a e con en ions ha ma ke e s a e de eloping,
and possibly al eady using, mechanisms o u ilise oice da a o imp o e pe sonalisa ion
(see o example, Tu ow, 2021). We canno conclusi ely sugges ha companies use da a
om e bal con e sa ions o a ge ed ad e ising, bu we also hink i is impo an o
ake adolescen s’ conce ns and expe iences se iously. The e o e, we u ge co po a ions o
be mo e anspa en abou he da a hey use o online p o iling.
We also conside how ou indings a e si ua ed in he Finnish con ex , wi h i s high
emphasis on media li e acy in schools. Ou pa icipan s we e gene ally awa e o which
da a ge s acked o comme cial pu poses. Howe e , whe he in o ma ion is aken om
p i a e con e sa ions o o he sou ces does no make much di e ence o he possibili y o
da a exploi a ion and he epe cussions on he subjec (K öge & Raschke, 2019).
The e o e, some adolescen s’ ela i e com o wi h hei online ac ions ge ing moni o ed
e lec s g ey a eas in hei knowledge. Mo eo e , pa icipan s’ awa eness le els seemed o
di e . While some c i ically e lec ed on comme cial digi al su eillance, a ew o he s
conside ed i ela i ely unp oblema ic. Some pa icipan s e en wished schools would
each mo e abou he comme cial epu posing o online da a. These insigh s ega ding
adolescen s’ knowledge gaps can be used by media li e acy educa o s in Finland.
Limi a ions and con ibu ions
We acknowledge some limi a ions in ou s udy ha open a enues o u u e esea ch. Fi s ly,
adolescen s’ knowledge can di e due o ac o s like echnical skills and socio-economic
backg ounds, among o he s (Li ings one e al., 2019). The e o e, mo e esea ch in di e en
coun ies and among a ied socio-demog aphic consume g oups can e eal social and
cul u al di e ences o new pe spec i es ha we e no co e ed in ou s udy as i was limi ed
o he Finnish capi al egion. Second, he s udy has iden i ied ha adolescen s ound a ge ed
ad e ising based on p io e bal con e sa ions mo e p i acy-in asi e han hose based on
da a on hei p e ious online ac i i ies. Howe e , only one g oup could a icula e he easons
o eeling so and quali a i e me hods limi d awing gene alisa ions o popula ions. The e o e,
quan i a i e s udies could be conduc ed o e eal how a ge ed ad e ising based on p e ious
16 S. SRIVASTAVA ET AL.
e bal con e sa ions and online ac i i ies a e associa ed wi h adolescen s’ expe iences o
p i acy-in asi eness.
Despi e he limi a ions iden i ied abo e, he p esen s udy makes some signi ican
con ibu ions. I con ibu es o exis ing esea ch explo ing adolescen s’ knowledge o he
da a collec ed o p o iling by highligh ing ha adolescen s deduce ha da a on hei
e bal con e sa ions also in o ms comme cial p o iling and a ge ing. The s udy also
ad ances esea ch in es iga ing adolescen s’ pe spec i es on online a ge ed ad e ise-
men s by pinpoin ing why some adolescen s ind online p o iling p i acy-in asi e.
Secondly, he s udy iden i ies adolescen s’ p i acy expec a ions in he con ex o online
a ge ed ad e isemen s. Thi dly, i highligh s ha some adolescen s ha e an imagina y
bounda y up un il which hey ind online da a ga he ing pe missible. Las ly, he s udy
iden i ies ambi alen iews on online a ge ed ad e isemen s among some adolescen s.
Conclusions
To conclude, ou hema ic analysis o eigh FGDs (N = 38) wi h adolescen s aged 13–16 yea s in
Finland’s capi al egion shows ha ou pa icipan s hough ha da a on hei loca ion,
demog aphics (age and gende ), p e ious online ac ions and pas con e sa ions ge s collec ed
o online p o iling. Ou pa icipan s had mul iple pe spec i es on online a ge ed ad e ise-
men s. Some pa icipan s ound a ge ed ad e isemen s help ul, whe eas a ew o he s ound
hem help ul bu also conce ning. Some hough a ge ed ad e isemen s encou age o e -
consump ion. A ew o he s no ed ha a ge ed ad e isemen s hinde new pe spec i es and
choices. While some pa icipan s ound he p o iling unde lying a ge ed ad e isemen s non-
dis u bing, he e we e some o he s who ound i c eepy because i ga e hem a eeling o
“being wa ched”. Se e al pa icipan s ega ded a ge ed ad e isemen s based on oice da a
as he c eepies , which e lec s ha adolescen s’ p i acy expec a ions in he con ex o
a ge ed ad e isemen s a e ha da a should no be collec ed wi hou hei awa eness and
comme cial en i ies should no use da a on p e ious con e sa ions o p o iling. We ecom-
mend aising adolescen s’ awa eness abou he ami ica ions o comme cial su eillance and
u ge co po a ions o make hei da a collec ion p ocess o p o iling anspa en .
No e
1. Addi ional in o ma ion – We we e guided by Van de Ho ’s (2016) da a ypology in designing
his wo kshee . Acco ding o his ypology, online a ge ed ad e isemen s a e based on
in e ed da a o p o iling. In e ed da a is de i ed by analysing da a sha ed knowingly (bu
no necessa ily in en ionally) and unknowingly by use s and possibly da a om o he sou ces,
usually using algo i hms (Van de Ho , 2016).
Acknowledgmen s
We would like o hank he anonymous e iewe s o hei aluable and help ul commen s. We a e
g a e ul o he schools ha pa icipa ed in his s udy and hank he pa icipan s who con ibu ed
hei ime o his s udy. We would also like o hank Ma ilda Holkkola o he help as a esea ch
assis an in his s udy.
JOURNAL OF CHILDREN AND MEDIA 17
Disclosu e s a emen
No po en ial con lic o in e es was epo ed by he au ho (s).
Funding
This s udy is unded by he S a egic Resea ch Council a he Academy o Finland, g an #327237
and he Academy o Finland, g an #320370.
No es on con ibu o s
Sonali S i as a a is a doc o al esea che a he Depa men o Social Sciences and Philosophy,
Uni e si y o Jy äskylä, Finland. He esea ch ocuses on child en as consume s in digi al en i on-
men s. Sonali’s esea ch in e es s include child en’s consume cul u e, isual cul u e, and child en’s
online p i acy.
Te hi-Anna Wilska is P o esso o Sociology a he Depa men o Social Sciences and Philosophy,
Uni e si y o Jy äskylä, Finland. He esea ch co e s consume beha iou , sociology o consump ion
and consume cul u e. Recen opics o in e es include digi alisa ion o consump ion, social media
and young people, and sus ainabili y in consump ion and e e yday li e.
Jussi Ny hinen is a pos doc o al esea che in sociology a he Depa men o Social Sciences and
Philosophy in Uni e si y o Jy äskylä, Finland. Ny hinen has been in ol ed in s udies in es iga ing
digi alisa ion in he e ail business, and he consequen dis up ions in consume beha iou , e ail
spaces and local e ail i ms’ s a egies and policies.
ORCID
Sonali S i as a a h p://o cid.o g/0000-0003-1871-5023
De ails o e hics app o al
A specialis om he Human Sciences and E hics Commi ee, Uni e si y o Jy äskylä was consul ed
be o e unde aking he da a collec ion. Based on he desc ip ion o he esea ch design, he need
o a sepa a e e hical app o al was uled ou by he specialis om he Human Sciences and E hics
Commi ee, Uni e si y o Jy äskylä. The uni e si y ollows he guidelines o he esponsible con-
duc o esea ch in Finland (2019). As pe hese guidelines, we we e asked o ga he in o med
consen om child en i hey we e 15 yea s and abo e and om pa en s in case o child en aged
below 15 yea s. We ollowed hese guidelines and ga he ed in o med consen . A desc ip ion o his
is also p o ided in he Ma e ials and me hods sec ion o he manusc ip . Since he esea ch design
did no mee he c i e ia o esea ch ha would equi e a sepa a e e hical app o al (a desc ip ion o
such c i e ia was p o ided o he esea che s by he Human Sciences and E hics Commi ee,
Uni e si y o Jy äskylä), a sepa a e e hical app o al was no ca ied ou .
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