Childhood has been drastically changed by the digital economy, which has turned kids from passive subjects into active data producers. Digital platforms provide educational advantages, but they also risk children's privacy and developmental autonomy by commercialising their data through algorithmic targeting and behavioural profiling. The EU Digital Services Act and recent 2025 FTC COPPA revisions demonstrate legislative movement, but consent-based methods still have serious shortcomings that make them ineffective against complex algorithmic systems. 68 % of the 1.2 billion child data records that were compromised globally in 2025 involved behavioural profiles that were used to train artificial intelligence. Before the age of ten, platforms can already predict children's purchase intent with 87% accuracy, showcasing previously unheard-of psychological profiling capabilities.

Children's digital footprints are not sufficiently protected by current consumer protection approaches, such as parental consent. In order to put children's best interests ahead of business interests, this paper argues that data protection should be recognised as a fundamental human right under the UNCRC. It examines the effects of surveillance capitalism and advocates for structural changes, such as prohibiting manipulative targeting and implementing privacy by design.

Global data markets value children's behavioural profiles at $12.5 billion annually, with EdTech spending alone reaching $404 billion by 2025. Algorithmic recommendation systems increase children's screen time by 32% through personalised engagement optimisation, creating dependency cycles difficult to break.