Awareness of digital commercial profiling among adolescents in Finland and their perspectives on online targeted advertisements

This is a sel -a chi ed e sion o an o iginal a icle. This e sion may di e om he o iginal in pagina ion and ypog aphic de ails. Au ho (s): Ti le: Yea : Ve sion: Copy igh : Righ s: Righ s u l: Please ci e he o iginal e sion: CC BY 4.0 h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/ 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 © 2023 he Au ho s Published e sion 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 o Child en and Media, 17(4), 559-578. h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/17482798.2023.2257813 2023 Full Te ms & Condi ions o access and use can be ound a h ps://www. and online.com/ac ion/jou nalIn o ma ion?jou nalCode= chm20 Jou nal o Child en and Media ISSN: (P in ) (Online) Jou nal homepage: h ps://www. and online.com/loi/ chm20 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 To link o his a icle: 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. Published online: 04 Oc 2023. Submi you a icle o his jou nal View ela ed a icles View C ossma k da a 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). 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