The gift of technical literacy: researchers advise educating children this holiday season

Researchers at SFU's School of Interactive Arts and Technology (SIAT) urge parents and guardians to educate their children on the potential risks associated with biowearable technology devices when gifting this holiday season. Biowearable technology devices, or biowearables, are interactive smart devices worn on-body, such as smart watches and fitness trackers. Although biowearables can provide significant benefits to children, the lack of involvement of children in research and development has led to concerns about unintended and negative impacts. -While issues of data security and privacy are often in the headlines, the unforeseen and invisible impacts of biowearables on children's developing sense of identity, self-esteem and self-efficacy have not been on most people's radar,- says SIAT professor Alissa Antle, who researches the interaction between children and interactive technologies. Biowearables monitor, assess and provide feedback on a user's physiological and psychological processes and states which can impact developing children and youth in a variety of ways. For example, norms for physical activity and body targets are embedded in smart watches and fitness trackers which can pose a risk to children whose bodies may not fit these norms as they are still growing and maturing. -If a child's tracker tells them they are not exercising enough or they are eating too much, this might negatively impact their development of self-esteem and sense of competency, since most children do not realize the changing needs of their bodies as they develop,- says Alexandra Kitson, a postdoctoral researcher working with Antle.