Developing a System for Processing Health Data of Children Using Digitalized Toys: Ethical and Privacy Concerns for...

Area of Science:

• Child Development
• Technology and Health
• Data Security

Background:

• Early detection of developmental disorders is crucial for intervention.
• Existing methods for monitoring child development may be limited in natural environments.
• The EDUCERE project addresses the need for innovative solutions in early childhood development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate, develop, and evaluate innovative solutions for detecting psychomotor development changes in children.
• To create a system for stimulation and early attention activities in natural settings (home, school).
• To conduct an ethical impact assessment focusing on minors' data protection rights.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a prototype of smart toys for natural interaction with children.
• Implementing a specific methodology for data analysis and development monitoring.
• Developing and applying privacy protection measures, including legal and technical aspects for health data security.

Main Results:

• Promising results in using smart toy prototypes to identify potential developmental difficulties.
• Proposed and applied a security framework for health data within an Internet of Things context.
• Successfully transformed bulk data (e.g., acceleration, jitter) into health data upon detecting atypical development patterns.

Conclusions:

• The EDUCERE project demonstrates a viable approach to early detection of developmental disorders using smart toys.
• The developed security framework offers robust privacy protection for minors' health data, applicable to other IoT projects.
• Integration of technology in natural environments holds significant potential for child development monitoring and intervention.