Abstract
This paper investigates the intricate aspects of privacy on social networks, having the investigation to be focused on the degree of control which young users have over their personal data and the implications of monetizing such data by platforms as well as third-party advertisers in a conservative society like Kuwait on using social media. The study seeks to reveal the Kuwaiti youth’s attitudes towards social media privacy policies and its impact on their usage. This study applies a quantitative research method to achieve the goals. An online survey was conducted on a total of 1601 Kuwaiti individuals (males and females) through October 9th to November 9th, 2024. The findings of this study reveal a noticeable decline in youth interest in Facebook, with platforms such as WhatsApp, TikTok, and Instagram emerging as more preferred alternatives. Also, the results prove that most Kuwaiti youth aren’t really delving into the details of these privacy policies when they join social networking sites. While some do show a bit of awareness or hesitation, this doesn’t necessarily mean they’re taking concrete actions, like actually reading the whole policy or looking for other options. They likely feel like they don’t have a choice since they probably perceive that there is no real alternative. The study suggests that future studies adopt experimental approaches to develop the most user-friendly and comprehensible formulations of privacy policies, ensuring they are easily understood by users.
Details
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KEYWORDS
Kuwaiti youth, Privacy policy, Social media uses, Attitudes
