A Nurse-Led, School-Based Scenario, and Puzzle-Based Digital Privacy Education: Effects on Children's Autonomy and Privacy Awareness

Children face increasing online risks such as privacy breaches and unsafe information sharing, highlighting the importance of digital privacy literacy and autonomy in child health promotion. This randomized controlled trial included 184 fourth-grade students (aged 9-11 years) in a public school in eastern Turkey, randomly assigned to an experimental (n = 93) or control group (n = 91). The experimental group received a 12-session, nurse-led program using interactive scenarios, puzzles, and animations to enhance autonomy and privacy awareness. While no significant post-test difference was found in autonomy between groups (p = 0.087), autonomy scores improved significantly within the experimental group (p < 0.001). Privacy awareness total and subscale scores on personal safety, information sharing, social media privacy, and parental control were significantly higher in the experimental group (p < 0.05). Findings indicate that school and pediatric nurses can promote children's autonomy and digital privacy literacy through engaging, developmentally appropriate education.