Reflect on the ethical norms, values, principles or theories that will inform their approach to the intervention. What are the ethical dimensions of your project itself? How do you explain these in the ethical review form all projects require?
I plan to create a board game for children for my Futures Project. Through creating a board game/card game for children which teaches them about their digital rights and potential risks of using technologies, it will create greater awareness of digital rights. If students have not covered digital literacy in schools, it could aid in their holistic learning, and create the principles of transparency necessary for responsible technology use. Further, given that children have specific sets of digital rights based on their elevated risk, a board game could add to their school-taught knowledge in a way which specifically addresses them. Parents or guardians who play the game with children could also learn more about how to protect their children from digital threats. This could aid both parents and children in understanding when their rights are being infringed upon, and strengthen regulations regarding digital rights. Surpassing digital rights, the boardgames could also teach children how to protect themselves on the internet, and navigate the new world of integrated AI. Through making the board game open source and Creative Commons, it can constantly be revised and built upon by others, making sure its updated. This also adheres to the principle of fairness, given that the game will be available to anybody who wants to download it and has access to the internet.
In the development of this project, it would be useful to interview children or parents to gauge how much they understand about digital rights and safety, especially in the age of AI. However, children are classified as vulnerable groups, which may make it challenging to get ethical clearance and permissions to interview them. I would have to speak to parents regarding their children’s privacy, and pay very close attention to maintaining that privacy. Alternatively, I could interview game developers to understand which aspects of games make them the most engaging for children, or speak to my peers in Education Futures about their experience in working with children. Further, in developing the board game, I must ensure that I do not infringe upon others IP, or use any material which is not free to use or licensed by the university. I will ensure that all participants have properly informed consent, and understand how and where their responses will be used. I will also ensure that participants remain anonymous. The project does not predict placing any unforeseen burden on participants.
