Privacy is a multifaceted phenomenon and value. It has gained new significance in the smartphone culture into which the technological development of the past few decades has led. In this culture, nearly every individual has their personal, multi-purpose smart device constantly along them and connected to the internet.

In this thesis, privacy was studied from the point of view of the experiences of young people in Finland and Canada. The aim was to investigate young people’s experiences and views on privacy both in general and as a part of smartphone-related contexts, using data gathered in Canada and Finland. Privacy was approached especially from contextuality and contextual integrity perspectives according to Helen Nissenbaum's concept. The data consisted of focus group interviews of 68 Canadian and Finnish participants aged 13 to 19. The qualitative data from the discussions include also references to preliminary quantitative Q-sorting and concept mapping tasks. The data from the focus groups were analysed qualitatively using theory-guided content analysis.

Privacy was a recognised and significant value for most of the participants. They had multiple practices to manage it, even though the effectiveness of these practices was seen as limited. Participants defined privacy using approaches of 1. risks and safety or security, 2. feelings, and 3. consent and managing. Things that could impose a concrete risk or danger if they spread were considered particularly private, connecting to feelings such are fear, embarrassment, or discomfort. Consent was seen as important, and the ability to manage one’s own information brought positive experiences of trust and independence. Context groups of 1. school, 2. work and other duties, 3. home and leisure, 4. connections to commercial actors, and 5. connections to authorities were recognised. The smartphone-related privacy issues were often linked to physical reality via for example location data. The experiences and perceptions of Finnish and Canadian participants were close to each other, mirroring the relative universality of the smartphone culture.

The experiences of young people growing up in the smartphone culture affect not only their choices as individuals but also their actions as citizens, contributing to the state of privacy and surveillance in future societies. Thus, it is important to study these experiences and support young people’s possibilities to make informed decisions. It should also be ensured that changes toward more digital societies with for example increased AI use will not happen without sufficient discussion about the possible effects on privacy and citizens’ rights.