Using global evidence to benefit children’s online opportunities and minimise risks (original) (raw)
2018
This case presents the Global Kids Online research model, revealing the challenges of researching children's internet and mobile use in a global context, and providing practical methodological solutions. With most available research conducted in the global North while most growth in the population of young internet users is occurring in the global South, researchers are faced with the challenge of creating research tools that are both context-sensitive, yet able to capture children's experiences of the internet on a global scale, and that allow for robust crosscountry comparative approaches. The Global Kids Online methodology is designed for children aged 9-17 who use the internet at least minimally and for adult respondents (the children's parents or carers). It includes a survey of parents and children, and individual and group interviews with children. The Global Kids Online project was developed as a collaborative initiative between the London School of Economics and Political Science, the UNICEF Office of Research-Innocenti, and the EU Kids Online network to address this need for a robust global evidence base on children's online opportunities and risks, and their effects on children's well-being and rights, which can be used to inform national and international policy, regulation, and practice. Learning Outcomes By the end of this case, students should be able to: • Understand key issues related to the design, fieldwork, data analysis and management of a global research project on children and the internet • Assess the advantages of using mixed methods • Understand the key challenges and advantages of cross-national comparative research. Acknowledgements This case is based on our work with colleagues as part of the projects Global Kids Online (GKO) and Maximizing Children's Online Opportunities and Minimizing Risks (MOMRO), and draws on research published in our online research toolkit (see www.globalkidsonline.net/tools). This work was made possible by financial support from the WePROTECT Global Alliance, UNICEF, and the London School of Economics and Political Science. We would like to thank our colleagues from the Global Kids Online network and the project expert advisors for their help and guidance. Case Study Research Context, Aims and Research Questions Everyday life is increasingly infused with digital technology use to the point where the distinction between offline and online is becoming blurred (Livingstone & Bulger, 2014; Third, Bellerose, Dawkins, Keltie, & Pihl, 2014). Theoretical and methodological approaches recognizing the digital as fundamentally interwoven with the social (Couldry & Hepp, 2017; Lupton, 2015; Wajcman, 2015) are coming to the fore of contemporary social and media research. Children, too, are becoming internet users at rapidly increasing rates and at younger ages (Holloway, Green, & Livingstone, 2013), with around one in three internet users globally estimated to be under 18 (Livingstone, Carr, & Byrne, 2016). The digital environment has become an important resource facilitating children's access to information, education, and health resources, as well as offering important opportunities for communication, socializing, creativity,
Children's rights in the digital age: a download from children around the world
2014
A growing body of evidence from across the world is also telling us that no matter where they are from, more and more children are relying on digital tools, platforms and services to learn, engage, participate, play, innovate, work or socialise. There are already countless examples of how-when harnessed appropriately-digital tools can help promote human development, by closing gaps in access to information, speeding up service delivery, supporting educational and health outcomes, and creating new entrepreneurship opportunities. The power of technology to jump across borders and time zones, to join the once disparate, and to foster social connectedness, has provided the means for the children and young people of today to participate in a global society in ways previously not possible. Sadly, there are also new or evolving risks-exposure to violence; access to inappropriate content, goods and services; concerns about excessive use; and issues of data protection and privacy. As it becomes increasingly difficult to draw the line between offline and online, it is necessary for us to examine how this changing environment impacts the wellbeing and development of children and their rights. Ensuring that all children are safe online requires approaches that promote digital literacy, resilience and cyber-savvy. It is only in partnership that we can reach consensus on how to create a safe, open, accessible, affordable and secure digital world. Critically, children and young people's profound insight must help inform, shape and drive this goal-which needs to focus on equity of access, safety for all, digital literacy across generations, identity and privacy, participation and civic engagement. In April of this year, the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University and UNICEF co-hosted, in collaboration with PEW Internet, EU Kids Online, the Internet Society (ISOC), Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI), and YouthPolicy.org, a first of its kind international 'Digitally Connected' symposium on children, youth, and digital media. The symposium sought to map and explore the global state of research and practice in this field, and to facilitate sharing, discussion and collaboration among the 150 academics, practitioners, young people, activists, philanthropists, government officials, and representatives of technology companies from around the world.
Investigating Risks and Opportunities for Children in a Digital World
Innocenti Discussion Papers, 2021
Children's lives are increasingly mediated by digital technologies, yet our knowledge of how this affects their well-being is far from comprehensive. We know, for example, that the online environment exposes children to new ideas and more diverse sources of information. The use of digital technologies can expand their opportunities, reduce inequalities and contribute to the realization of children's rights. We also know that when children seek information online and want to learn, they risk being exposed to inappropriate or potentially harmful content. Yet, when it comes to determining the long-term effects of internet use and online experiences on children's well-being, mental health or resilience, the best we can do is make an educated guess. This is just one evidence gap among many that need to be filled in order that society can support children's positive use of digital technologies, develop children's skills and protect those who are vulnerable. Filling these gaps would benefit children. Their education, relationships, entertainment, and participation in a connected world increasingly depend on digital technologies. Filling these gaps would also help to guide policy and programme responses and maximize the potential of technological advancements. Our need for this knowledge has become even more acute as internet use rises during the global COVID-19 pandemic. This report identifies, evaluates and synthesizes what has been learned from the most recent research about children's experiences and outcomes relating to the internet and digital technologies. It aims to inform policymakers, educators, child protection specialists, industry and parents on the latest and best evidence, and it proposes a future research agenda.
UK children go online: Emerging opportunities and dangers
London: London School of Economics …, 2005
Exploring nature and meaning of children's internet use Mapping emerging patterns of attitudes and practices across diverse contexts and social groups Summary: Many households with children now have domestic internet access. Early research shows that parents hope to improve their children's educational prospects but are concerned about online dangers. Further, parents are unsure how to guide their children towards creative or valuable sites; although children are enthusiastically using the internet they too are unsure how to get the best out of the internet or how to avoid problems.
Global Perspectives on Children's Digital Opportunities: An Emerging Research and Policy Agenda
Pediatrics, 2017
Diverse international perspectives show that children can benefit greatly from digital opportunities. Despite widespread optimism about the potential of digital technologies, especially for information and education, the research reveals an insufficient evidence base to guide policy and practice across all continents of the world, especially in middle- and low-income countries. Beyond revealing pressing and sizeable gaps in knowledge, this cross-national review also reveals the importance of understanding local values and practices regarding the use of technologies. This leads us to stress that future researchers must take into account local contexts and existing inequalities and must share best practices internationally so that children can navigate the balance between risks and opportunities. This article documents the particular irony that while the world's poorer countries look to research to find ways to increase access and accelerate the fair distribution of digital educat...
Global Kids Online: Researching children’s rights globally in the digital age
Global Studies of Childhood, 2016
Drawing on an ongoing international research project, Global Kids Online, this article examines the theoretical and methodological challenges of conducting global research on children’s rights in the digital age at a time of intense socio-technological change and contested policy development. Arguing in favour of critically rethinking existing research frameworks and measures for new circumstances, we report on the experience of designing a research toolkit and piloting this in four countries on four continents. We aim to generate national and cross-national insights that can benefit future researchers and research users concerned to build a robust evidence base to understand children’s rights in the digital age. It is hoped that such experiences will prompt wider lessons for the unfolding research and policy agenda.
Children's data and privacy in the digital age
2021
The CO:RE Project is a Coordination and Support Action within the Horizon 2020 framework, which aims to build an international knowledge base on the impact of technological transformations on children and youth. Part of the knowledge base is a series of short reports on relevant topics that provide an overview of the state of research. This part is coordinated by Veronika Kalmus (University of Tartu, Estonia). For all reports, updates, insights, as well as full details of all CO:RE consortium members and CO:RE national partners throughout Europe and beyond, please visit core-evidence.eu.. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 EU.3.6.1.1-The mechanisms to promote smart, sustainable and inclusive growth DT-TRANSFORMATIONS-07-2019-The impact of technological transformations on children and youth.
This brief discussion paper shares preliminary work to develop a practical framework for thinking about rights-respecting advocacy, policy and practice responses to support and empower children and young people in their daily encounters with the Internet and other networked digital technologies. Contemporary public service policy and practice responses to the role of the Internet in young people's lives focus disproportionately on strategies involving web blocking and filtering, restriction of access to online spaces, and safety messaging highlighting what young people should not do online. We argue that such strategies can be both counterproductive, and lead to a neglect of the role of public services in promoting young people's digital literacy and skills. Whilst the EU Kids Online program has highlighted that " safety initiatives to reduce risk tend also reduce opportunities " (De Haan & Livingstone, 2009), alternative strategies are needed that help professionals working with young people to move beyond a conceptual model in which the 'risks' and 'opportunities' of digital technologies are set up in opposition. In exploring how to respond to the online lives of children and young people, safety must sit alongside, and be integrated with, a broader range of considerations, including promoting positive uptake of online opportunities, promoting skills relevant to a digital economy, and encouraging the development of accessible, democratic online spaces in which rights to both play and participation, amongst others, can be realized. We suggest that the common classification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into Provision, Protection and Participation rights (Cantwell, 1993) can provide the basis for such strategies, in which the protection of children and young people, the provision of appropriate services, spaces and support, and
Researching the benefits and opportunities for children online
2016
Research in the last five years has documented a range of proven benefits for children of participating online, including positive impacts on formal and informal learning; health and well-being; literacy; civic and/or political participation; play and recreation; identity; belonging; peer, family and intergenerational relationships; individual and community resilience; and consumer practices (Swist et al., 2015). Even so, relatively little is understood about the various benefits and opportunities children can access online. If governments, communities, parents and children themselves are to activate the potential for digital media to support children’s rights, it is vital that research documents more systematically the relationship between the digital and children’s protection, provision and participation rights. This Method Guide situates current research on online benefits and opportunities in relation to key trends in global research on digital practice, and identifies the key i...
Researching Children's Experiences Online across Countries: Issues and Problems in Methodology
A project funded by the EC Safer Internet Plus Programme -http://ec.europa.eu/saferinternet . It examines research carried out in 18 member states into how children and young people use the internet and new media. This three-year collaboration aims to identify comparable research findings across Europe and to evaluate the social, cultural and regulatory influences affecting both risks and children's and parents' responses to them, in order to inform policy. It will chart available data, indicate gaps and identify factors that shape the research capability of European research institutions. Finally, it will examine methodological issues relating to cross-cultural analyses and the study of children's online experience in order to develop a best practice guide to research. For more information see www.eukidsonline.net 2
Talking to children about data and privacy online: research methodology
2019
With growing concerns over children’s online privacy and the commercial uses of their data, it is vital that children’s understandings of the digital environment, their digital skills and their capacity to consent are taken into account in designing services, regulation and policy. This project seeks to address questions and evidence gaps concerning children’s conception of privacy online, their capacity to consent, their functional skills (e.g., in understanding terms and conditions or managing privacy settings online), and their deeper critical understanding of the online environment, including both its interpersonal and, especially, its commercial dimensions (including its business models, uses of data and algorithms, forms of redress, commercial interests, systems of trust and governance). The project takes a child-centred approach, arguing that only in this way can researchers provide the needed integration of children’s understandings, online affordances, resulting experiences...
Online freedom and safety for children
2001
Citizens Online is an independent charity, established to explore the social and cultural impact of the Internet, to implement positive action to bridge the so-called digital divide, and to promote the benefits of universal Internet access. Citizens Online is pledged to work in partnership with Government, industry, and voluntary and community organisations, to bring together the resources and expertise across all sectors. We are committed to ensuring that those who do not have access to the Internet, for whatever reason, have the opportunities to do so if they wish. Ambitious targets have been set by Government to achieve universal Internet access by 2005. Citizens Online has a role in addressing the needs of those in our society who are most at risk of falling through the digital divide. Citizens Online believes that the companies who make the technology to access the Internet have a social responsibility to consider the impact of their activities on those in society who do not have access. We will work with research organisations to establish a clear picture of where to invest their efforts in the UK and extend programmes aimed at providing and improving access and use of the Internet in society.
Journal of Direct, Data and Digital Marketing Practice, 2007
Kids are spending more money on goods and services and more time online than ever before. This makes them an incredibly tempting target for online marketing. But what are the data protection issues where children are concerned? This paper considers child data protection using the concepts of knowledge, control and parental involvement; it reminds us of the DMA code of practice for online marketing to children and presents review of how 20 of the top children ' s websites match up to the code. While most of the children ' s websites do post a data protection policy, it is not easy for children to fi nd or understand; few policies are displayed at the point of information collection; children have little control over what happens to any information they do disclose and the common practice of involving parents is woefully inadequate. It is hoped that this paper will highlight some of the issues involved in protecting children ' s online privacy and encourage debate on how the industry should proceed in this tricky area.
Rethinking responses to children and young people's online lives
2011
This brief discussion paper shares preliminary work to develop a practical framework for thinking about rights-respecting advocacy, policy and practice responses to support and empower children and young people in their daily encounters with the Internet and other networked digital technologies. Contemporary public service policy and practice responses to the role of the Internet in young people's lives focus disproportionately on strategies involving web blocking and filtering, restriction of access to online spaces, and safety messaging highlighting what young people should not do online. We argue that such strategies can be both counterproductive, and lead to a neglect of the role of public services in promoting young people's digital literacy and skills.