Data and Early Childhood. Reflections on privacy

Our research presents the initial step in “mapping digital childhood data” by examining the discourses and specific strategies on platformization that early childhood education experts consider crucial to fostering awareness and reassessing professional and political influence. Social media and instant messaging are widely used in childhood culture to document and share with parents. Educators play a key role in challenging platform normalization and economic models favouring private interests over public education (Jacovkis et al., 2022; Mascheroni and Siibak, 2021). Teachers have diverse views on digital tools; some embrace them, while others feel overwhelmed by datafication and privacy concerns (Fontichiaro and Johnston, 2020; Raffaghelli, 2022). The Reggio Emilia approach highlights documentation’s role in making learning visible (Malaguzzi, 1998; Alaçam and Olgan, 2021). The research follows a constructivist approach (Guba and Lincoln, 1989), which builds knowledge by exploring the meanings that subjects construct while interacting within a specific historical-cultural context. Following a qualitative approach, interviews (Cohen et al., 2018) have been used to reconstruct practitioners' perspectives. We conducted a study based on 14 individual interviews with educators in Italy. Participation is voluntary, with informed consent ensuring anonymity. Data will be shared with participants. Findings reveal that balancing technological documentation and children's privacy is complex. Efforts aim to ensure children's internet access while protecting them from harm (Swist and Collin, 2017; Restiglian et al., 2023). Integrating sustainability and inclusion policies in early childhood fosters equitable digital practices. We will provide recommendations for improving digital literacy and professional development in early childhood education.