Researching the benefits and opportunities for children online

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 issues that shape children’s capacity to maximise the positive impacts of their online engagement. It then documents some of the challenges to research, and proposes a set of principles and critical questions to guide researchers in designing appropriate studies. This Guide is not exhaustive. Rather, it aims to orient researchers in developing internationally comparable and culturally appropriate frameworks for understanding the scope and impact of the opportunities for children online

Mediating the female terrorist: Patricia Hearst and the containment of the feminist terrorist threat in the United States in the 1970s

In January 1976, the trial of Patricia Campbell Hearst caused a Western media sensation. Representing the culmination of her spectacular kidnapping and conversion to the terrorist cause of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), Hearst was on trial for her participation in the Hibernia National Bank robbery almost two years earlier. As of the commencement of the trial, the story of the heiress-come-female-terrorist had been captivating Western media audiences for two years. This article analyses the ways that mainstream media coverage of this event operated to contain both the threat of this particular female terrorist, and the threat of second-wave feminism more broadly. Within Western culture, there has historically been a concern with the need to regulate the mainstream media’s coverage of terrorist events. In this line of thinking, the mainstream media are a precondition for, and a potential site of the contagion of, terrorism. However, as I demonstrate, ultimately, mainstream media coverage of terrorist events in which women are key protagonists operates to recuperate the threat of terrorism. In doing so, it reproduces and reasserts dominant patriarchal gender relations and thus works in the interests of dominant culture, rather than against them

Addressing the cyber safety challenge: from risk to resilience

Addressing the cyber safety challenge: from risk to resilience describes the cyber safety issues emerging from a range of technology trends, how different populations are using technologies and the risks they face, and how we can effectively respond to each group’s unique cyber safety needs. Written by the University of Western Sydney for Telstra Corporation Ltd, the report advocates for continuing to move cyber safety from a ‘risk and protection’ framework to one that focuses on building digital resilience, as well as fostering trust and confidence in the online environment. To do this we need to: Address the needs of populations often neglected by current policies and programs – including adults, seniors, parents, and small to medium enterprises Continue to build the digital literacy skills of all populations, because digital literacy strongly influences users’ ability to engage safely online – this is best achieved by a hands-on learning approach Keep risk in perspective – the risks and benefits of digital participation go hand in hand Broaden the focus from awareness-raising to long-term behaviour change. As digital technologies become further integrated into the everyday lives of Australians, users are potentially exposed to greater risks. However, the risks and benefits of digital participation go hand in hand. The challenge, therefore, is to support users to minimise the risks without limiting their digital participation and their capacity to derive the full benefits of connectivity. If Australians are to benefit as either consumers or providers of online services and products in the e-commerce environment, consumer safety and trust need to be improved. Cyber safety needs to be considered against a transforming backdrop of technology trends, products and practices. While the rise of social media has tended to dominate recent debate and developments in cyber safety, particularly in relation to young people, a range of other trends is also shaping how users engage online, the risks they potentially face in the new media landscape, and the strategies used to address them. These trends include the rise of user generated content and content sharing platforms; the uptake of mobile technologies and, in particular, the adoption of smartphones; cloud computing; platform integration and single sign-on mechanisms; and the rise of GPS and location based services

Children and young people’s rights in the digital age: an emerging agenda

Rights-based approaches to children’s digital media practices are gaining attention as a framework for research, policy and initiatives that can balance children’s need for protection online with their capacity to maximize the opportunities and benefits of connectivity. But what does it mean to bring the concepts of the digital, rights and the child into dialogue? Arguing that the child represents a limit case of adult normative discourses about both rights and digital media practices, this article harnesses the radical potential of the figure of the child to rethink (human and children’s) rights and the digital. In doing so, we critique the implicitly adult, seemingly invulnerable subject of rights in research and advocacy about digital environments. We thereby introduce the thinking behind the articles selected for this special issue, and draw out the key tensions and dilemmas relating to the emerging agenda on children’s rights in the digital age

No, Education Minister, we don’t have enough evidence to support banning mobile phones in schools

The claim that students’ use of mobile phones at school is connected with lower academic performance has consistently featured in the popular debate around school mobile phone bans and has been used to justify blanket prohibitions. In this blog, Marilyn Campbell and Amanda Third discuss the existing evidence and argue that, despite the claims, we actually don’t have sufficient data to back the policy

Children's rights in the digital age: a download from children around the world

Evidence from across the world is 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. Foreward Some two-thirds of the world’s almost three billion internet users are from the developing world, with the numbers growing every day. Many of these new users are children and young people; in fact in many countries, internet users under the age of 24 far outnumber the rest. 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.   &nbsp

Online Safety in the Pacific: A Report on a Living Lab in Kiribati, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands

With cable internet systems rolling out across the Pacific, access to affordable and fast digital connectivity in the region is set to rapidly expand, opening up unprecedented opportunities for children but also potentially exposing them to new risks of harm. Child online safety in the Pacific region thus stands at a critical juncture. However, there is very little rigorous and reliable evidence to guide policy and decision making in relation to children’s digital practices and online safety This report presents the key findings of research undertaken to map the challenges and opportunities that technology presents for children in the Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Papua New Guinea. The project deployed a qualitative, participatory research methodology developed by the Young and Resilient Research Centre and previously deployed in over 70 countries. From December 2019 to March 2020, the Young and Resilient Research Centre at Western Sydney University, ChildFund Australia and Plan International Australia conducted half-day creative workshops conducted separately with 96 children aged 10-18; 58 parents and carers; and 50 representatives of government departments, local and international NGOs, schools, police, telecommunications companies, religious organisations and community leaders. Workshop activities explored key themes relating to each group’s perceptions and experiences of children’s digital media use and online safety, with the overall aim of generating an evidence base for ChildFund Australia’s and Plan International Australia’s future child protection programming in the Pacific region. Activities included writing, discussion, polls, and arts-based tools. Participants were engaged individually, in small groups, and as a whole group. Overall, despite different cultural practices and contexts at play in the three countries that participated in the study, across the sample, there were remarkable similarities in children’s, parents’/carers’ and other adult stakeholders’ experiences of navigating online safety issues for and with children

Online Safety Perceptions, Needs, and Expectations of Young People in Southeast Asia: Consultations with Young People in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam

Globally, children and young people's access to digital devices and online spaces are fundamental to what it means to be a young person in the contemporary context. Young people's access to digital technology earlier in life, and in greater numbers, has resulted in increased societal awareness and concern about ensuring their safety and wellbeing online. One manifestation of that concern is through calls for online platforms to take greater responsibility for safeguarding users' privacy and wellbeing. A growing body of work asserts the importance of technology industries adopting a human-centric approach when designing their online platforms and services to ensure those products are safer for the people who use them. In Southeast Asia in particular, penetration and use of online technologies among young people is rapidly advancing. It follows then that young people in this region should be included in discourses about and practices for online safety. This report describes outcomes of a project that explored online experiences of children and young people in four countries in Southeast Asia - Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam - showing how young people in these countries perceive and experience key elements of their lives online. The report also presents young participants' ideas and aspirations about how to ensure they and their peers remain safe online, reinforcing the value of such ideas for key stakeholders when planning, developing, and operationalising their online products and services

Child-centred Indicators for Violence Prevention: Summary Report on a Living Lab in the City of Valenzuela, Philippines

In 2015, world leaders made a commitment to end all forms of violence against children by 2030, as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To achieve the aspirations of the SDG global targets, Governments set targets, taking into account national circumstances, to reduce children’s risk and be responsive to local contexts. Prevention and response efforts need to be grounded in the best available evidence to achieve measurable reductions in violence, and if the needs of children are to be foregrounded, strategies to end violence must respect not only children’s protection rights but also their participation rights. Moreover, it is critical that the processes for monitoring and measuring impacts centre children’s needs, aspirations and experiences. If children themselves report that violence is reducing in their personal lives, in their communities and in their countries, we will know that efforts to address violence, abuse and neglect are succeeding. This report describes a project undertaken in collaboration with End Violence, the City of Valenzuela, the Young and Resilient Research Centre and other partners to develop child-centred indicators for violence prevention in the City of Valenzuela in greater Manila, Philippines. Child and adult stakeholders worked together in a series of 14 participatory workshops to creatively explore children’s experiences and perceptions of violence, to map their aspirations for change, to ideate strategies for addressing violence in their communities, and to develop child-centred indicators against which violence reduction can be measured. This project found that children’s perspectives are a vital resource for efforts to localise INSPIRE strategies and that the deployment of child-centred indicators usefully augments and complements the INSPIRE measurement framework. Beyond the City of Valenzuela, there is opportunity to scale the use of these child-centred indicators to other parts of the Philippines and globally. The report also offers reflections on the key strengths and limitations of the Living Lab process for engaging a wide range of stakeholders, including children themselves, in the project of ending violence against children

Reimagining Online Safety Education through the Eyes of Young People: Co-Design Workshops with Young People to Inform Digital Learning Experiences

Online safety education is typically designed by adults for young people. As a consequence, it often reflects adult perspectives and concerns. While existing education has been somewhat successful in raising young people’s awareness about online harms, young Australians report gaps in their online safety skills and knowledge. This is particularly true when it comes to managing difficult experiences online and supporting others through negative experiences.1 Young people also describe feeling misunderstood and disempowered by current online safety messaging.2 With funding from the eSafety Commissioner’s Online Safety Grants, and in partnership with the PROJECT ROCKIT Foundation, this project aimed to create online safety learning experiences with and for young people to better meet their needs and address their concerns. To inform the design of these learning experiences, the Young and Resilient Research Centre (Y&R) at Western Sydney University (WSU) led a survey and a creative and participatory process to co-design youth-centred online safety education with young people