Haru in the Care Network: Stakeholder Perspectives on Privacy with Social Robots in Pediatrics

Social robots are beginning to be introduced as technologies to support the collective networks supporting pediatric treatment, but few studies on children's perceptions of privacy with robots in hospitals. Through a mixed-method approach, we introduced hypothetical vignettes and engaged in discussion with 15 youth who are either receiving cancer treatments or are in remission (ages 6-25), 11 of their parents, and 5 out of 8 of their clinical staff to learn how stakeholders in pediatric oncology discuss privacy concerns with child-robot interactions. Our thematic analysis imparts how stakeholders perceive robots as social, non-authoritative extensions of the hospital's care network. As 1) mediators of social interaction among various stakeholders, 2) companions for children and 3) informational tools for clinicians when consent is given by the family, social robots can maximize their social utility within care systems while critically engaging with the comfort and privacy preferences of stakeholders. We emphasize how assistive technologies in pediatrics should be co-designed within communities for identifying appropriate roles and returning agency to stakeholders as they navigate the blurry boundaries of privacy in healthcare.