EU Kids Online
New project looks at children’s experiences, risks and opportunities online
EU Kids Online, a project funded by the EC Safer Internet plus Programme, began work at the end of June.
Consisting of key researchers from 18 countries, it will examine ongoing and new research across Europe into how children and young people are using the internet and other online technologies.
As the Internet and new online technologies are becoming embedded in everyday life, pressing questions arise regarding their social implications and consequences. Children, young people and their families tend to be in the vanguard of new media adoption, benefiting from early take-up of new opportunities afforded by the internet, mobile and broadband content, online games, peer-to-peer technologies, and so forth. However, they also encounter a range of risky or negative experiences for which they may be unprepared.
To guide the development of a flexible policy framework and develop the academic agenda in this field, a rigorous, updated, context-sensitive research base is vital. The EU Kids Online project examines research carried out in 18 EU States into how people, especially children and young people, use new media.
Key questions include:
- What risks exist for which technologies, and for which populations?
- How do social, cultural and regulatory influences affect the experience of and the responses to the risks?
- The aim is to identify research findings across EU States on the basis of which recommendations for child safety, media literacy and awareness can be formulated.
The EU Kids Online network has established an electronic repository for all European studies in this field. This searchable database, providing summary information about empirical studies, will provide a unique resource for researchers, practioners and policy-makers working in this area.
The website, www.eukidsonline.net contains information about the national contacts for EU Kids Online within each participating country, as well as links to other relevant projects and initiatives and details of the main work packages. At the end of the three year project, a major international conference will report findings.
Contact
Professor Sonia Livingstone
Department of Media and Communications and IWF Board Member
London School of Economics and Political Science
Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE, UK
fax: +44 (0) 20 7955 7248
email: s.livingstone@lse.ac.uk
Department of Media and Communications and IWF Board Member
London School of Economics and Political Science
Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE, UK
fax: +44 (0) 20 7955 7248
email: s.livingstone@lse.ac.uk
Created: Mon, October 2nd, 2006 | Last Modified: Fri, March 9th, 2007
