EC Safer Internet plus

EC policy context

Promoting internet for all

Free movement of services

i2010 - a “European Information Society” for growth and employment

Protection of minors and human dignity

Safer Internet plus

Promoting safe use of internet and online technologies

Fight against illegal and harmful content, and content unwanted by the end user

Network of hotlines (inhope) and awareness nodes (insafe), plus other actions

http://ec.europa.eu/saferinternet

EU Kids Online

A thematic network examining European research on cultural, contextual and risk issues in children's safe use of the internet and new media

Funded by the EC Safer Internet plus Programme (2006-9)

The network will identify and compare research carried out in 18 member states

Austria

Belgium

Bulgaria

Czech Republic

Denmark

Estonia

France

Germany

Greece

Iceland

Norway

Poland

Portugal

Slovenia

Spain

Sweden

The Netherlands

The United Kingdom

Objectives To identify and evaluate available data on children’s and families’ use of the internet and

new online technologies, noting gaps in the evidence base (WP1)

To understand the research in context and inform the research agenda (WP2)

To compare findings across diverse European countries, so as to identify risks and safety concerns, their distribution, significance and consequences (WP3)

To understand these risks in the context of the changing media environment, cultural contexts of childhood and family, and regulatory/policy contexts (WP2&3)

To enhance the understanding of methodological issues and challenges involved in studying children, online technologies, and cross-national comparisons (WP4)

To develop evidence-based policy recommendations for awareness-raising, media literacy and other actions to promote safer use of the internet/online technologies (WP5)

To network researchers across Europe to share and compare data, findings, theory, disciplines, methodological approaches, etc. (WP1-7)

Opportunities & Risks Access to global information

Educational resources

Social networking for old/ new friends

Entertainment, games and fun

User-generated content production

Civic or political participation

Privacy for expression of identity

Community involvement/activism

Technological expertise and literacy

Career advancement or employment

Personal/health/sexual advice

Specialist groups and fan forums

Share experiences with distant others

Illegal content

Paedophiles, grooming, strangers

Extreme or sexual violence

Other harmful/offensive content

Racist/hate material/activities

Advertising/commercial persuasion

Biased or mis-information

Exploitation of personal information

Cyber-bullying, stalking, harassment

Gambling, financial scams

Self-harm (suicide, anorexia, etc)

Invasions/abuse of privacy

Illegal activities (hacking, terrorism)

What do we need to know?What’s the latest research on…

The incidence of online bullying, harassment, etc, and for which groups?

Risks of access to fast-changing technologies (e.g. user-generated content)

Use patterns, risks, and parental responses among very young children

Why do we know so little about parents’ responses in some countries?

Interpretative challenges:

What are the trends over time?

What are the trends comparing online and offline?

Why is the risk in country A more than in country B?

Which works best – filtering or rating, awareness raising or restriction, etc?

Methodological challenges:

What’s the best way of measuring access to and use of online technologies?

What’s the best way of asking children about sensitive issues (porn, racism, etc)?

Evidence of online risks . . .

Empirical (quality) research

Prioritise pan-European, or multinational, evidence

Seek out recent and ongoing research in each country

Contextualise in relation to other forms of evidence

Conduct some reanalysis of existing data, where feasible

Monitor research findings from outside Europe

ChildrenYouthFamilyParentsHome

RisksSafetyAccess/useRegulation

OnlineInternetMobileElectronic…

Why compare countries?

• Nation as object of study - idiographic, understand particular countries for their own sake, through contrast with others (e.g. Mediappro)

• Nation as context of study - test hypothesised generality of findings across nations to support claims of abstract/universal phenomenon (e.g. SAFT)

• Nation as unit of analysis - seek systematic relations among a priori dimensions on which nations vary, each nation serving as one unit or data source (e.g. Children and their Changing Media Environment)

• Nation as component of international/transnational system - compare nations shown to be systematically interrelated as a result of some underlying process (e.g. Eurobarometer?)

(Kohn, 1989)

Working practices

An EC ‘thematic network’, June 2006 – June 2009

18 national teams, approx. 40 researchers (academic, NGO)

Selected for diversity of country (large/small, North/South, old/new Europe, etc)

Selected for diversity of academic discipline or research specialism

Meetings every 6 months, with occasional small group meetings in between

Work divided into 7 work packages, each with WP leader and phased timetable

Overall network management coordinated by LSE team

Frequent reporting to/liaison with Safer Internet Plus programme project officer

Each national team in contact with national policy makers

Network in contact with European awareness-raising and policy activities

International Advisory Board, for the view from outside Europe

Regular dissemination to academy, policy and public

Planned outputs

Online data repository – ongoing: 200+ empirical projects included

Report on Data Availability (Summer 2007)

Report on Cross-National Comparisons (Summer 2008)

Best Practice Research Guide (Summer 2008)

Report on Cross-Cultural Contexts of Research (Winter 2008)

Final Report and Policy Recommendations (Summer 2009)

Conference (Summer 2009)

Plus a range of interim reports, electronic alerts, etc

Note – an open invitation to everyone to inform us of any ongoing research . . .

Where are we up to? – year 1T1 - T6

D1.2 Online Data Repository (200+ empirical projects)

D6.2 Website

D7.1 Workplan

D7.2 Network Members’ Agreement

T7 - T12

D1.1 Report on Data Availability

D3.1 Preliminary Report on 3 Country Comparison

D4.1 Preliminary Report: Methodological Issues Review

Plus

6/12 monthly reports, 6 monthly electronic alerts to contacts

Ad hoc conferences, events, participate in Safer Internet Day, etc

Next steps – years 2 and 3T13 - T24

D3.2 Report: Cross-National Comparisons

D4.2 Report: Best Practice Research Guide

T25 - T36

D2 Report: Cross-Cultural Contexts of Research (T30)

D5 Report: Summary and Recommendations

D6.3 Conference, D6.4 Book, D7.5 Report: Project Evaluation, D6.5 Final Report

Plus

Continue to update data repository, update website

6/12 monthly reports, 6 monthly electronic alerts to contacts

Ad hoc conferences, events, participate in Safer Internet Day, etc

Thank you

Sonia Livingstone (s.livingstone@lse.ac.uk)

Leslie Haddon (leshaddon@aol.com)

Panayiota Tsatsou (p.tsatsou@lse.ac.uk)

Department of Media and Communications

London School of Economics and Political Science

www.eukidsonline.net