Big data is used in many areas of 21st Century life. It’s a way to make daily processes simpler and quicker, all whilst improving outcomes. Whether we’re looking at the automotive industry, online shopping or professional sport, It’s almost impossible to find an area that isn’t benefiting from the rise of the big data phenomenon. Yet, one group shielded from the effects of this big data explosion is children.
Naturally, many parents are unwilling to share their children’s personal medical data. However, there are rising pressures for parents. Increasing medical costs, competition for school places and a widening poverty gap. Organisations and individuals are turning to big data analytics to help their children. This is not a decision to take lightly. Ensuring that each child has the best chance of succeeding where the odds can be against them.
The beginnings of data and children
A twenty-first-century birth is far removed from a birth thirty or forty years ago. From the moment a foetus begins inside the womb, it’s monitored. Its heart rate, pulse and, whether it is developing any potential birth defects. When a baby is born, it almost instantly develops its own digital footprint. This is true not only of its medical data but through the many photographs taken and uploaded to the internet within hours. There have been several developments made in the field of baby-centric apps. ‘Sproutling’ works very much like a FitBit. Measuring vital signs, allowing a parent to track their child in mind-boggling detail. Much of this data is then used to compare a child against others of the same age in the same country. This allows parents to know if their child is developing at the same rate as those around them.
Children’s hospitals are using big data
The spread of diseases and airborne pollution is an ever-growing concern for many. Some hospitals are following the example of Seattle Children’s Hospital. They are utilising data to treat their young patients more efficiently. SCH partnered up with technology giant IBM to utilise massive volumes of their hospital and patient data. This had previously gone unanalysed and has since helped improve care for its patients. The hospital needed a consolidated platform on which they could view and collate patient data. This is helping to find solutions more quickly.
IBM’s PureData system is a dashboard that can monitor each patient and their respective data. It tracks across hospital visits and can identify similarities in symptoms and treatments. This platform helped Seattle Children’s Hospital to cut query times 50-100%. Meaning that more patients are being treated in a much shorter space of time.
Patients can also pool their data to help researchers. They can use it to find treatments for conditions such as meningitis. These treatments are then shared with other hospitals around the world.
Early years’ data
In the early stages of any child’s life, there are two main areas which parents look forward to more than any other. One is the child taking its first tentative steps. The other when your child utters the first sounds which vaguely resemble speech. MIT Professor and Twitter Chief Media Scientist, Deb Roy didn’t want to miss this moment at all. Using his family as test subjects, he recorded over ninety thousand hours of home video. He used fish-eye micro-cameras located in every room of his house. Dubbed ‘The Human Speechome Project’. He was able to track the six-month period it took for his son to go from saying ‘GaaGaa’ to ‘Water’.
He was also able to virtually map the house, and cross-reference this information. Mapping words, such as ‘bye’ near the front door, to find how his son learnt the meaning and context of certain words. This extraordinary research and discoveries would not have been possible without the analysis of data. It shows the potential of the technology to improve children’s lives.
Toy companies are getting in on the action
Toy companies such as Mattel are starting to produce toys that can listen to and communicate with the child. Utilising the power of Deep Learning. Mattel’s ‘Hello Barbie’ listens to the child’s questions. And responds using a bank of over eight thousand answers in under a second. There have been questions raised about the privacy of the data recorded by the dolls. Mattel has tried to allay fears by saying that any data is securely stored at their headquarters.
They have said this is only used to improve the products and service in the future. There are concerns that personal details could be mentioned by the child or its family in ‘earshot’ of the doll’s microphone. This sensitive information could be sitting on a database at Mattel HQ. We are in the midst of revelations surrounding mass surveillance in recent years. So, it is understandable that there is a certain degree of hesitancy that this is the way forward for the toy industry.
Schooling and big data for children
One of the areas in which big data could have a significant impact in the long term is in schools. Analytics is already used in the United States on a more widespread basis. Local authorities can compare the performance of different school districts in certain criteria. Such as, average test scores and internet use per week for certain age groups. This information is then used to improve the performance of the students and the staff. In some US schools, they are trialling an EWS (Early Warning System). This system tracks the performance of individual students during their time at school and offers a score based on their aptitude.
The system reflects the likelihood of the child succeeding in high school. The system monitors students with lower scores more closely. This helps improve their score and increase the chance of educational success. However, there is a considerable number of critics of this system. They say that predicting a child’s future through their schoolwork is inappropriate. And it doesn’t allow the child to develop normally and naturally as a result of the constant monitoring.
Thinking points
Firstly, should children have a digital footprint on the internet before they are old enough to understand or agree to it? Like the many hundreds of photos of new-born babies uploaded to social media channels like Facebook. Is this right when the child in question isn’t even aware of it? Furthermore, how should we tackle the sensitive issue of personal medical data from children? Even if the purpose is of treating disease and illness? Is it right that parents should refuse to share their child’s medical data anonymously? Data which could help save other children’s lives?
Final thoughts
Finally; using data to ‘diagnose’ chances of success or other character traits may in itself change a child. By adding pressure or providing excuses when there is no one fixed definition of success. It would appear as though big data is set to be inextricably linked to almost every area of modern life. When it comes to children, it may be best to consider where it might do good… and where it might do harm before we let the markets define it.
