MECHANISMS SHAPING THE DIGITAL RIGHTS AND DATA PRIVACY AMONG KERALA YOUTH

S. Dinesh Babu; Shebin Philip John

doi:10.29121/ShodhVichar.v2.i1.2026.98

Authors

Dr. S. Dinesh Babu MA JMC Student, Department of Visual Media and Communication Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi Campus, Kerala, India Author
Shebin Philip John Assistant Professor (SG), Department of Visual Media and Communication, School of Arts, Humanities and Commerce, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi Campus, Kerala, India Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29121/ShodhVichar.v2.i1.2026.98

Keywords:

Digital Rights, Data Privacy, Kerala Youth, Privacy Paradox, Surveillance Capitalism, Consent Fatigue, Digital Literacy, DPDP Act, Awareness Behavior Gap

Abstract

Since social networking has become an essential part of everyone's life, people have been increasingly wondering if teenagers have fully understood their rights online and their private data. The study investigates the level of digital rights and data privacy awareness, observed behavior in the sharing of information online, and the social and structural determinants of their understanding among the Kerala Youth. For the study, a quantitative descriptive design was employed, and data were collected through a questionnaire distributed among 201 youth users spread across all 14 districts of Kerala through convenience and snowball sampling. Frequency and percentage analysis were used for data analysis. The Privacy Paradox, Surveillance Capitalism, Privacy Calculus Model, Communication Privacy Management Theory, and Contextual Integrity were considered. Results indicated an obvious difference between actual privacy knowledge and perceived privacy awareness. Respondents had general knowledge of digital rights but were aware only of rudimentary legal matters, such as the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act. Common unsafe behaviors observed were not reading the terms and conditions, granting unnecessary permissions to applications and continuing to use applications even when aware of potential risks. The influence of peers and the design of the social networking platform influenced the digital behaviors to a greater extent and education had very little impact. The study concluded that digital rights among the Kerala youth have a more theoretical knowledge rather than an application based knowledge and there is a greater need to inculcate advanced digital rights knowledge among them by means of, not only to raise public consciousness and encourage interaction on data protection rights but also the need to create user friendly consent mechanisms.

References

Augustine, J., and Yadav, S. (2021). Digital Divide and Youth: A Study Among Rural Students in Kerala. International Journal of Research Culture Society, Special Issue 21, 1–11.

Bennett, C. J., and Raab, C. D. (2006). The Governance of Privacy: Policy Instruments in Global Perspective. MIT Press.

Bhat, I. H. (2024). Digital Rights, Data Privacy, and Social Media Regulation: A Review of Literature. Bhatt and Joshi Associates.

Boyd, d. (2014). It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens. Yale University Press.

Choudhary, A., and Patidar, R. (2025). India’s Digital Governance: Decoding Policies and Their Real-World Effects. World Research of Political Science Journal, 8(1), 97–108. https://doi.org/10.18576/WRPSJ/080107

Christakis, D. A., and Hale, L. (2025). Children, Screens, and Digital Wellbeing: An Interdisciplinary Review.

Constitution of India. (1950). Article 21: Protection of Life and Personal Liberty. Government of India.

Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Das, M. C. (2022). Data Privacy on the Internet: Awareness and Attitudes Among the Students of the University of Chittagong in Bangladesh. Advances in Journalism and Communication, 10, 70–80. https://doi.org/10.4236/ajc.2022.102006

Dinev, T., and Hart, P. (2006). An Extended Privacy Calculus Model for E-Commerce Transactions. Information Systems Research, 17(1), 61–80. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.1060.0080

European Parliament and Council of the European Union. (2016). Regulation (EU) 2016/679: General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Farthing, R., Koren Oljak, K., Akuetteh, T., Camacho, K., Smith-Nunes, G., and Zhao, J. (2024). Online Privacy, Young People, and Datafication: Different Perceptions About Online Privacy Across Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Ghana, and Slovenia. Social Media and Society, 10(4), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051241298042

Femi-Lawal, V. O., and Aderemi, T. (2025). Young People’s Data Protection and Privacy Rights in the Digital Transformation of Health: Insights, Perspectives, and Recommendations for the African Context.

Gallego-Arrufat, M. J., García-Martínez, I., Romero-López, M. A., and Torres-Hernández, N. (2024). Digital Responsibility in Education: A Scoping Review. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 32(3). https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.32.7899

George, J., Sabu, A. M., and Jamir, A. (2020). A Study on Youth Perception About Social Networking Websites Violating Basic Human Privacy Rights. International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews, 7(1), 426–429.

Government of India. (2000). Information Technology Act, 2000. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

Government of India. (2023). Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

Jain, V., Payasi, S., and Jain, V. K. (2025). Social Media Policies and Youth Privacy Concerns. International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research.

Jana, A., Pradhan, S., Ajmera, Z., Harish, H., and Shah, D. (2022). Online Privacy and Safety of Young Adults. Internet Freedom Foundation.

Knijnenburg, B. P., Page, X., Wisniewski, P., Lipford, H. R., Proferes, N., and Romano, J. (Eds.). (2022). Modern Socio-Technical Perspectives on Privacy. Springer.

Livingstone, S. (2008). Taking Risky Opportunities in Youthful Content Creation: Teenagers’ Use of Social Networking Sites for Intimacy, Privacy, and Self-Expression. New Media & Society, 10(3), 393–411. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444808089415

Livingstone, S., and Third, A. (2017). Children and Young People’s Rights in the Digital Age: An Emerging Agenda. New Media and Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444816686318

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. (n.d.). Data Governance and Cybersecurity Initiatives. Government of India.

Ministry of Home Affairs. (n.d.). Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C). Government of India.

Narayana Swamy, R. (2025). Mind the Gap: An Empirical Analysis of India’s National Cybercrime Framework and Its State-Level Implementation in Kerala. Journal of Law and Public Policy, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.55496/EFDE9816

Nguyen, T., Yeates, G., Ly, T., and Albalawi, U. (2023). A Study on Exploring the Level of Awareness of Privacy Concerns and Risks. Applied Sciences, 13, 13237. https://doi.org/10.3390/app132413237

Nissenbaum, H. (2010). Privacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life. Stanford University Press.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2013). OECD Privacy Framework.

Panjani, H., and Mudgal, A. (n.d.). Cyber Safety Awareness Among Middle-Grade and Secondary-Level Students.

Pew Research Center. (2019). Americans and Privacy: Concerned, Confused and Feeling Lack of Control Over Their Personal Information.

Rebelo, M., and Guimaraes, S. (2020). Inclusive and Innovative Learning: Looking for an Education for Digital Citizenship. Proceedings of Conference.

Sarwatay, D., Raman, U., and Ramasubramanian, S. (2021). Media Literacy, Social Connectedness, and Digital Citizenship in India: Mapping Stakeholders on How Parents and Young People Navigate a Social World. Frontiers in Human Dynamics, 3, 601239. https://doi.org/10.3389/fhumd.2021.601239

Sharma, P. B., and Sarmah, R. (2020). Youth Awareness of Digital India. International Journal of Management, 11(6), 127.

Singh, P. (n.d.). Social Media Issues, Concern of Cyber Safety, Privacy Safety and Freedom of Speech Among Indian Masses. SSRN.

Solove, D. J. (2008). Understanding Privacy. Harvard University Press.

Soni, V. (2024). Digital Footprints of the Young: Privacy Concerns and Awareness Among Teen Social Media Users.

Sriharsha, G. (2025). Digital Distress, Legal Blindness: Gaps in Consent Mechanisms for Indian Teenagers by the Digital Platforms. SSRN.

Suresh, K. G. (2024a). Analyzing Digital Safety Practices and Awareness Among Indian Youth: A Routine Activity Theory Perspective. Kristu Jayanti Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 4, 1–12.

Suresh, K. G. (2024b). Routine Activity Theory and the Online Safety Practices of Indian Youth. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 27(2), 84–89. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2023.0389

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2021). Digital Literacy and Online Safety Report.

Verma, V., and Mishra, A. (2024). Children’s Privacy Rights in the Digital Age: A Rights-Based Perspective. International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research.

Westin, A. F. (1967). Privacy and Freedom. Atheneum.

Williams, O., Choong, Y. Y., and Buchanan, K. (2023). A Dyadic Study of Children and Their Parents. Proceedings of the Nineteenth Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security.

Zuboff, S. (2019). The Age of Surveillance Capitalism. PublicAffairs.