The Spanish Data Protection Authority and the protection of childhood

The AEP is a scientific society that represents around 13,000 pediatricians working in both hospital and primary care settings. It is made up of all the regional pediatric scientific societies and the pediatric societies of the different medical specialties or areas. The main objective of the association is to ensure adequate health care, to promote the development of the specialty, both in its care, teaching and research aspects, as well as to advise all competent institutions on matters that may affect or affect the health, development and integrity of children and adolescents, and to disseminate and inform the population on child health issues.

The contents of the updated Guide AEP are said to be based on new scientific evidence. Thus, the Guide increases the age range below which children should not be exposed to screens from 2 to 6 years old; a strong association is shown between parents' screen and their children's screen time, especially at mealtimes and in the bedroom; excessive screen use has been shown to impair areas such as sleep, cardiovascular risk, brain volume and nutrition, among others; the SPA (and the AEPD) urges governments and the education system to take measures to avoid the potentially harmful effects on the health and development of children and adolescents. The Guide includes criteria as the following ones:

From 0 to 6 years, zero screens; as an exception and under adult supervision, it can be used for social contact for a specific purpose. From 7 to 12 years, less than one hour (including school time and homework). Further, it is a must to limit the use of devices with Internet access and to prioritize protective factors: sporting activities, face-to-face relationships, contact with nature, sleep, healthy eating, etc. If it is decided that the minors should use a device, it must be under adult supervision and avoiding the bathroom and bedroom. It is a must to agree on clear limits in advance both in terms of time and content. From 13 to 16 years old: less than two hours (including school time and homework). If access to devices is allowed, it is recommended to install parental control tools. Other measures proposed are to prioritize the use of phones without internet access and to delay the age of the first smart (internet-enabled) mobile phone.

 

Curiously enough, the Guide, although published by the AEPD, says nothing about protection of the minor’s privacy when using mobile phones, accessing to the Internet, etc. and focuses instead on other areas as health, foods, sleep and so. More information available here​.