Do privacy and security regulations need a status update? Perspectives from an intergenerational survey

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Sociology of Technology
• Digital Privacy

Background:

• Concerns exist regarding health privacy protections for younger demographics, often termed the "Facebook Generation."
• Assumptions suggest younger individuals are less concerned about health information privacy compared to older generations.
• This study investigates if these assumptions necessitate a reevaluation of online health privacy standards.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess generational differences in perspectives on online and health information privacy and security.
• To determine if internet and social media usage correlate with privacy concerns.
• To inform policy decisions regarding the strengthening of digital health privacy protections.

Main Methods:

• A 45-item survey was administered to U.S. individuals recruited via Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk).
• The survey assessed perspectives on online/health information privacy, social media behaviors, device usage, and demographics.
• Participants were categorized into generational cohorts: Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers.

Main Results:

• Generational cohort independently predicted levels of concern regarding online and health information privacy and security.
• Younger generations (Millennials) showed significantly lower concern levels compared to older generations (Generation X, Baby Boomers).
• Internet usage and social media engagement did not predict privacy or security concerns across any generation.

Conclusions:

• Despite lower reported concern among Millennials, majorities across all generations expressed significant concern for health information privacy and security.
• Generational differences in privacy concern are not linked to online or social media behaviors.
• The findings do not support relaxing health information privacy and security standards; rather, they emphasize the need for increased vigilance.