# Gender-Based Heterogeneity in Youth Privacy-Protective Behavior for Smart Voice Assistants: Evidence from Multigroup PLS-SEM

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.27117 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.27117/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 4 of its 31 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 28 Mar 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [Convenience vs. Control: A Qualitative Study of Youth Privacy with Smart Voice Assistants](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.04399/) (2026)
- [Balancing Usability and Compliance in AI Smart Devices: A Privacy-by-Design Audit of Google Home, Alexa, and Siri](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.04403/) (2026)
- [Privacy by Voice: Modeling Youth Privacy-Protective Behavior in Smart Voice Assistants](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.10142/) (2026)
- [Gender Biases in Error Mitigation by Voice Assistants](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.13074/) (2023)

## Abstract (arXiv)

This paper investigates how gender shapes privacy decision-making in youth smart voice assistant (SVA) ecosystems. Using survey data from 469 Canadian youths aged 16-24, we apply multigroup Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling to compare males (N=241) and females (N=174) (total N = 415) across five privacy constructs: Perceived Privacy Risks (PPR), Perceived Privacy Benefits (PPBf), Algorithmic Transparency and Trust (ATT), Privacy Self-Efficacy (PSE), and Privacy Protective Behavior (PPB). Results provide exploratory evidence of gender heterogeneity in selected pathways. The direct effect of PPR on PPB is stronger for males (Male: beta = 0.424; Female: beta = 0.233; p < 0.1), while the indirect effect of ATT on PPB via PSE is stronger for females (Female: beta = 0.229; Male: beta = 0.132; p < 0.1). Descriptive analysis of non-binary (N=15) and prefer-not-to-say participants (N=39) shows lower trust and higher perceived risk than the binary groups, motivating future work with adequately powered gender-diverse samples. Overall, the findings provide exploratory evidence that gender may moderate key privacy pathways, supporting more responsive transparency and control interventions for youth SVA use.