This report is based on research on children´s use of new media as identified by the network members until March 2013.
2 aspect this report looks at:
i. Methodological issues - areas of innovation in researching children´s internet use and their understanding of online risks.
ii. Where methodology meets ethical dilemmas - making responsible choices in research with children.
Context:
Children´s rapid adoption of the internet and other online technologies, together with the constantly changing media landscape (e.g. more apps and tailored sites, more individualized media use, more mobile internet), pose challenges to researchers concerning the difficult task of adapting and renewing their inventory of research tools in order to identify the risks and opportunities presented by the internet and new media use.
The recent report, In their own words: What bothers children online? (Livingstone et al., 2013), analysed answers to an open survey question concerning what bothers children online. This arose out of data gathered for the EU Kids Online II study (2009-11). The current phase, EU Kids Online III (2011-14), promises a more thorough qualitative investigation into children´s understanding of online risks and opportunities.
The focus of this report:
This report has been produced by drawing on examples of (self-assessed) innovative qualitative studies (or studies with a qualitative component) provided by researchers in the EU Kids Online network. Its purpose is to offer an approach to qualitative research that balances methodological innovation with responsible, ethically sensitive attitudes towards research with and about children, and their online experiences. The anticipated audience of this report is an academic one, with at least some experience in qualitative social research. The report is intended to be useful to researchers with an inclination towards qualitative methodologies, to experienced qualitative researchers new to this domain, to researchers interested in ethical dilemmas, and to students and interested others.
