Francesca Stocco

• PhD student
• Edith Cowan University
• f.stocco@ecu.edu.au
• ORCID

Francesca Stocco’s PhD research examines how the commercial governance of children’s connected toys (terms of service and privacy policies) can include vague terms and ambiguous language, which makes it difficult for parents to understand the data privacy and security risks that their children may be exposed to, given the data collection and processing practices of Internet of Toys (IoToys’) companies. Francesca is interested in how companies can foster advanced regulatory design practices that are child-friendly, policy/legislative developments within data privacy, educating and mutually improving the data and privacy policy literacies of parents and children by applying innovative industry practice within digital platforms.

Francesca hopes that children are empowered digital citizens fulfilling their agentic needs, digital competencies, assume autonomy/independent decision-making, and digital resilience as informed citizens. This is implicated by way of regulatory design and governance practices together with active parental discussions. The result is that they will be in a position to assert their legal rights online (e.g., the right to erase their digital footprint) of the General Data Privacy Regulation (GDPR).

Supervisor
Professor Lelia Green

Earliest digital memory
Playing with my pet Tamagotchi, Neopets, and Poochi (one of the first-ever smart toy robotic dogs of the 90s). My play with these toys and playthings has made me appreciate the developments of connected toys – from teaching STEM skills to helping children with special educational needs, such as autism.

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