The importance of involving neurodiverse teens and kids in privacy feature testing
The importance of involving neurodiverse teens and kids in privacy feature testing
Publish Date: 2026-04-07 09:43:00
Source Domain: iapp.org
Digital technologies have become a central part of children’s lives, as social interactions, education, government services and commerce increasingly rely on online systems, shaping how children access relationships, opportunities, services and protections.
As a result, when considering how children use technology — particularly privacy features — it is essential that products are designed with young users in mind and reflect their full diversity.
This begins with testing. Testing populations should mirror real-world users so designers and engineers can understand how users actually experience features and refine them accordingly. When neurodiverse users are excluded, assumptions about comprehension and intent increase, creating significant risk, especially as attention to nondiscrimination and support needs continues to grow.
This risk is compounded by the fact that privacy tools actively shape children’s emotional experiences, often through anxiety, fear of making mistakes, avoidance or over-trust. Recognizing this emotional dimension highlights the critical intersection of mental health, lived experience and design.
From a psychological and developmental perspective, many privacy features implicitly assume levels of attention, abstract reasoning and language processing that do not consistently align with how adolescents engage with digital environments, particularly given the wide variability across neurodivergent profiles.
When neurodiverse young people are left out of testing, their needs and ways of interacting with technology may be overlooked. This is particularly significant for privacy features intended to protect and connect young users and trusted guardians. Without their inclusion, these tools may be less accessible and effective for neurodiverse youth.
Young users often make privacy decisions under cognitive load, emotional activation or social pressure. For some neurodiverse youth, these conditions can intensify challenges in interpreting…
