Researching children's rights globally in the digital age: Overview, context, aims, challenges
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The aim of this first session was to identify the diversity of problems around the world and the research challenges that result. In particular, contributors discussed the particular barriers to, and opportunities faced by, children in engaging with digital technologies in their country or region, also identifying areas where more research is needed.
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Researching children's rights globally in the digital age: Overview, context, aims, challenges
- 1. Embedding children’s rights in policy- making: lessons from research and evidence gaps Sonia Livingstone, Media@LSE s.livingstone@lse.ac.uk Livingstone_S www.eukidsonline.net
- 2. From 2006-09, as a thematic network of 21 countries, EU Kids Online identified and evaluated the findings of nearly 400 research studies to draw out substantive, methodological and policy implications. From 2009-11, as a knowledge enhancement project across 25 countries, the network surveyed 25,000 children and parents to produce original, rigorous data on online opportunities and risk of harm. From 2011-14, the network expanded to 33 countries to conduct targeted analyses of the quantitative survey and new qualitative interviews with children. In 2015, network coordination passed from Department of Media and Communications at LSE to the Hans Bredow Institute for Media Research, University of Hamburg. See www.eukidsonline.net Nearly a decade of research (funded by EC Better Internet for Kids) Net Children Go Mobile replicated parts of EU Kids Online’s qualitative and quantitative research in selected countries in 2011-14. See www.netchildrengomobile.eu
- 3. Findings • methods • recommendations
- 4. See http://goo.gl/3JJBbU for our YouTube playlist of 75 videos in most EU languages.
- 5. What do we know or not know?
- 7. Listening to children’s concerns
- 8. Usage Activities Risk factors Harm or coping INDIVIDUAL USER SOCIAL MEDIATION NATIONAL CONTEXT Parents School Peers Child as unit of analysis Country as unit of analysis Demographic Psychological Cultural values Socio-economic stratification Regulatory framework Education system Technological infrastructure
- 9. Usage Activities Risk factors Harm or coping INDIVIDUAL USER SOCIAL MEDIATION NATIONAL CONTEXT Parents School Peers Child as unit of analysis Country as unit of analysis Demographic Psychological Cultural values Socio-economic stratification Regulatory framework Education system Technological infrastructure
- 10. Usage Activities Risk factors Harm or coping INDIVIDUAL USER SOCIAL MEDIATION NATIONAL CONTEXT Parents School Peers Child as unit of analysis Country as unit of analysis Demographic Psychological Cultural values Socio-economic stratification Regulatory framework Education system Technological infrastructure
- 12. Models of comparison Nation as object of study: idiographic, seeing our own and others’ countries better through contrasting cases Nation as context of study: testing hypothesised generalities across countries to examine claims of universal phenomena Nation as unit of analysis: seeking systematic relations among a priori dimensions on which countries vary, each serving as source of data Nation as component of transnational system: comparing countries systematically related as a result of an underlying process (Melvin Kohn, Cross-national research in sociology 2009)
- 13. Putting ideas into practice Country report 1 Country report 2 Country report 3 Country report 4 RQ1 RQ2 RQ3 RQ4 C1 C2 C3 C4 National teams write country reports that answer a set of research questions Nation as object of study (Sonia Livingstone and Uwe Hasebrink, Designing a European project, 2010
- 14. Practice gets complicated RQ1 RQ2 RQ3 RQ4 C1 C2 C3 C4 Country report 1 Country report 2 Country report 3 Country report 4 Different researchers analyse single research questions across countries Com- pari- son 1 Com- pari- son 2 Com- pari- son 3 Com- pari- son 4 If similarities - nation as context of study (claim universals?) If differences - nation as unit of analysis (need external indicators)
- 15. But what about ‘the nation’? Ethnos - The ethno-cultural nation • Maps identity and culture onto nation by prioritising belonging, trust and efficacy generated by a homogenous & committed imagined community • But problem of global flows, diversity, migration, instability Cosmos - The community of communities • Maps the kaleidoscope of variety and contrast, embracing diversity, difference, flux, even cosmopolitanism • Responds to the critique of the ethno-cultural nation, but more description than explanation Demos - The civic/democratic nation • Replaces cultural homogeneity with political/administrative culture of social rights & inclusivity • Invites strategic questions of priorities, of targeting structures that may effect change (Kevin Robins, Becoming anybody 2001)
- 16. Activities Literacies Strategies Affordances Design Practices Benefits and harms that affect well-being SOCIAL RESOURCES & MEDIATORS SOCIETAL CONDITIONS Outcomes Digital ecology User-led Family Educators Peers and community Cultural values, norms, practices Education system Technological and regulatory infrastructures Structures of inclusion and inequality Identities Experiences Capacities Children Opportunities and risks INDIVIDUAL
- 17. Activities Literacies Strategies Affordances Design Practices Benefits and harms that affect well-being SOCIAL RESOURCES & MEDIATORS SOCIETAL CONDITIONS Outcomes Digital ecology User-led Family Educators Peers and community Cultural values, norms, practices Education system Technological and regulatory infrastructures Structures of inclusion and inequality Identities Experiences Capacities Children Opportunities and risks INDIVIDUAL
- 18. Activities Literacies Strategies Affordances Design Practices Benefits and harms that affect well-being SOCIAL RESOURCES & MEDIATORS SOCIETAL CONDITIONS Outcomes Digital ecology User-led Family Educators Peers and community Cultural values, norms, practices Education system Technological and regulatory infrastructures Structures of inclusion and inequality Identities Experiences Capacities Children Opportunities and risks INDIVIDUAL
- 19. Activities Literacies Strategies Affordances Design Practices Benefits and harms that affect well-being SOCIAL RESOURCES & MEDIATORS SOCIETAL CONDITIONS Outcomes Digital ecology User-led Family Educators Peers and community Cultural values, norms, practices Education system Technological and regulatory infrastructures Structures of inclusion and inequality Identities Experiences Capacities Children Opportunities and risks INDIVIDUAL
- 20. Design shapes practice and literacy follows (or doesn’t)
- 21. Positive affordances could build great digital literacies
- 22. Beyond the global North
- 25. Internet use is changing
- 26. A wider evidence base
- 27. UNCRC Protection from any kind of discrimination (Art.2), all forms of abuse and neglect (Art. 19), including sexual exploitation and sexual abuse (Art. 34), and other forms of exploitation prejudicial to the child’s welfare (Art. 36), from ‘information and material injurious to the child’s well-being’ (Art. 17e), ‘arbitrary or unlawful interference with his or her privacy, family, or correspondence [and] unlawful attacks on his or her honour and reputation’ (Art. 16) Provision to support children’s rights to life and development (Art.6), to preserve his or her identity (Art. 8), to an education to support the development of their full potential (Art. 28) and prepare them ‘for responsible life in a free society’ (Art. 29), to recreation and leisure appropriate to their age (Art. 31), to diverse material of social and cultural benefit to the child (including minorities) to promote children’s well-being (Art. 17) and all appropriate measures for recovery from neglect, exploitation or abuse (Art.39) Participation: ‘In all actions concerning children… the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration’ (Art. 3), including the right of children to be consulted in all matters affecting them (Art. 12), to freedom of expression (Art. 13) , freedom of thought (Art.14), of association and assembly (Art. 15), to information (Art.17) and to participate fully in cultural
- 28. CRC Issues for the digital age Protection from any kind of discrimination (Art.2), all forms of abuse and neglect (Art. 19), including sexual exploitation and sexual abuse (Art. 34), and other forms of exploitation prejudicial to the child’s welfare (Art. 36), from ‘information and material injurious to the child’s well-being’ (Art. 17e), ‘arbitrary or unlawful interference with his or her privacy, family, or correspondence [and] unlawful attacks on his/ her honour and reputation’ (Art. 16) • Sexual grooming and sexual exploitation • Creation and distribution of child abuse images • Online dimensions of child trafficking • New threats to privacy, identity and reputation • Availability of (diverse, extreme) pornography • Personal data exploitation, misuse, tracking • Hostility, hate and bullying content and conduct • Persuasion re: self-harm, suicide, pro-anorexia, drugs Provision to support children’s rights to life and development (Art.6), to preserve his or her identity (Art. 8), to an education to support the development of their full potential (Art. 28) and prepare them ‘for responsible life in a free society’ (Art. 29), to recreation and leisure appropriate to their age (Art. 31), to diverse material of social and cultural benefit to the child (incl. minorities) to promote children’s well-being (Art. 17) and measures for recovery from neglect, exploitation or abuse (Art.39) • Formal and informal learning resources and curricula • Wealth of accessible and specialised information • Opportunities for creativity, exploration, expression • Digital and information skills and literacies • Ways to counter traditional inequalities or problems • Expanded array of entertainment and leisure choices • Access to/representation in own culture and heritage Participation: ‘In all actions concerning children the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration’ (Art. 3), incl. the right of children to be consulted in all matters affecting them (Art. 12), to freedom of expression (Art. 13) , freedom of thought (Art.14), of association and assembly (Art. 15), to information (Art.17) and to participate fully in cultural life (Art.31) • Enhanced connections and networking opportunities • Scalable ways of consulting children about governance • User-friendly fora for child/youth voice and expression • Child-led initiatives for local and global change • Peer-2-peer connections for sharing and collaboration • Recognition of child rights and responsibilities
- 29. CRC Evidence Internet Rights & Principles Coalition Protection from any kind of discrimination (Art.2), all forms of abuse and neglect (Art. 19), including sexual exploitation and sexual abuse (Art. 34), and other forms of exploitation prejudicial to the child’s welfare (Art. 36), from ‘information and material injurious to the child’s well-being’ (Art. 17e), ‘arbitrary or unlawful interference with his or her privacy, family, or correspondence [and] unlawful attacks on his/ her honour and reputation’ (Art. 16) • Sexual exploitation • Child abuse images • Child trafficking • Threats to privacy • Pornography • Personal data exploitation • Hostility, hate, bullying • Self-harm, suicide, pro-anorexia •Dignity must be respected, protected, fulfilled online •Privacy, freedom from surveillance & censorship and the right to online anonymity •Control over personal data collection, retention, processing, disposal and disclosure •Protection against harassment, crime, defamation, hate (& for children, sexual exploitation) •Children must be free to use the internet and be protected from its dangers, depending on capabilities Provision to support children’s rights to life and development (Art.6), his or her identity (Art. 8), an education to support the development of their full potential (Art. 28) and prepare them ‘for responsible life in a free society’ (Art. 29), to recreation and leisure appropriate to their age (Art. 31), to diverse material of social and cultural benefit to the child to promote children’s well-being (Art. 17) and measures for recovery from neglect, exploitation or abuse (Art.39) • Learning resources • Wealth of information • Creativity & expression • Digital literacies • Ways to counter inequalities • Expanded entertainment • Access to own culture •Life, liberty and security •Access and use of a secure and open internet, incl. addressing specific needs of disadvantaged groups •Cultural and linguistic diversity on the internet must be promoted and innovation should be encouraged to facilitate plurality of expression •Education through the internet, to culture and knowledge online Participation: ‘In all actions concerning children the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration’ (Art. 3), incl. the right of children to be consulted in all matters affecting them (Art. 12), to freedom of expression (Art. 13) , freedom of thought (Art.14), of association and assembly (Art. 15), to information (Art.17) and to participate in • Enhanced networking • Ways of consulting children • Fora for child voice • Child-led initiatives • P2p sharing • Recognition of rights •The internet is a space for promotion, protection and fulfilment of human rights & advancing social justice •Seek, receive and impart information freely, and to associate freely with others for social, political and cultural purposes
- 30. Questions?
Editor's Notes
- Before we look closely at the present and the near future – the purpose of this conference – let’s look back 10 years or so. Internet meant fixed line, via a desktop, in the living room, with access a source of major inequality (digital divide) Offline versus online (online as virtual, perhaps unreal, definitely voluntary) Talk of digital natives and digital immigrants (unhelpful for both) Risks versus opportunities (separate conferences, no recognition of their connections) Moral panics in the media (encouraging some key fallacies – technological determinism; children as innocent victims, the internet as the wild west) Online meant web 1.0 – importance of peer-to-peer, social networking came later, as did ‘always on’, ‘constantly connected’ So, little regulation of internet, not even clarity over the array of stakeholders to be involved in diverse kinds of regulation But call for internet-specific interventions, rather than embedding internet into existing practice, regulation
- The more children use the internet, the more digital skills they gain, and the higher they climb the ‘ladder of online opportunities’ to gain the benefits. Not all internet use results in benefits: the chance of a child gaining the benefits depends on their age, gender and socio-economic status, on how their parents support them, and on the positive content available to them. New divides Not digital natives Uncertainty about the top Pos Con Ask parents or teachers for best hopes
- Importance of consulting children Pornography tops children’s online concerns. Violent, aggressive, cruel or gory content came a close second - although violence receives less public attention than sexual material. What particularly upsets them is real (or realistic) rather than fictional violence, and violence against the vulnerable such as children or animals. Children’s concern about online risks rises markedly from nine to 12 years old. Younger children are more concerned about content risks, and as they get older they become more concerned about conduct and contact risks. What’s happening with the risks? More extreme, diverse, visual, intense Coming from trusted peers Esp via video-sharing websites as most linked with violent & pornographic risks (though also source of greatest pleasure, showing how risks and opps are linked)
- 3 key findings Children’s use, skills and opportunities are also linked to online risks; the more of these, the more risk of harm; thus as internet use increases, ever greater efforts are needed to prevent risk also increasing. Not all risk results in harm: the chance of a child being upset or harmed by online experiences depends partly on their age, gender and socio-economic status, and also on their resilience and resources to cope with what happens on the internet. Also important is the role played by parents, school and peers, and by national provision for regulation, content provision, cultural values and the education system.
- 3 key findings Children’s use, skills and opportunities are also linked to online risks; the more of these, the more risk of harm; thus as internet use increases, ever greater efforts are needed to prevent risk also increasing. Not all risk results in harm: the chance of a child being upset or harmed by online experiences depends partly on their age, gender and socio-economic status, and also on their resilience and resources to cope with what happens on the internet. Also important is the role played by parents, school and peers, and by national provision for regulation, content provision, cultural values and the education system.
- 3 key findings Children’s use, skills and opportunities are also linked to online risks; the more of these, the more risk of harm; thus as internet use increases, ever greater efforts are needed to prevent risk also increasing. Not all risk results in harm: the chance of a child being upset or harmed by online experiences depends partly on their age, gender and socio-economic status, and also on their resilience and resources to cope with what happens on the internet. Also important is the role played by parents, school and peers, and by national provision for regulation, content provision, cultural values and the education system.