Children Risk And Safety On The Internet

As internet use is extending to younger children, there is an increasing need for research focus on the risks young users are experiencing, as well as the opportunities, and how they should cope. With expert contributions from diverse disciplines and a uniquely cross-national breadth, this timely book examines the prospect of enhanced opportunities for learning, creativity and communication set against the fear of cyberbullying, pornography and invaded privacy by both strangers and peers. Based on an impressive in-depth survey of 25,000 children carried out by the EU Kids Online network, it offers wholly new findings that extend previous research and counter both the optimistic and the pessimistic hype. It argues that, in the main, children are gaining the digital skills, coping strategies and social support they need to navigate this fast-changing terrain. But it also identifies the struggles they encounter, pinpointing those for whom harm can follow from risky online encounters. Each chapter presents new findings and analyses to inform both researchers and students in the social sciences and policy makers in government, industry or child welfare who are working to enhance children's digital experiences.

As internet use is extending to younger children, there is an increasing need for research focus on the risks young users are experiencing, as well as the opportunities, and how they should cope. With expert contributions from diverse disciplines and a uniquely cross-national breadth, this timely book examines the prospect of enhanced opportunities for learning, creativity and communication set against the fear of cyberbullying, pornography and invaded privacy by both strangers and peers. Based on an impressive in-depth survey of 25,000 children carried out by the EU Kids Online network, it offers wholly new findings that extend previous research and counter both the optimistic and the pessimistic hype. It argues that, in the main, children are gaining the digital skills, coping strategies and social support they need to navigate this fast-changing terrain. But it also identifies the struggles they encounter, pinpointing those for whom harm can follow from risky online encounters. Each chapter presents new findings and analyses to inform both researchers and students in the social sciences and policy makers in government, industry or child welfare who are working to enhance children's digital experiences.

As the internet and new online technologies are becoming embedded in everyday life, there are increasing questions about their social implications and consequences. This text addresses these risks in relation to children.

What is online risk? How can we best protect children from it? Who should be responsible for this protection? Is all protection good? Can Internet users trust the industry? These and other fundamental questions are discussed in this book. Beginning with the premise that the political and democratic processes in a society are affected by the way in which that society defines and perceives risks, Children in the Online World offers insights into the contemporary regulation of online risk for children (including teens), examining the questions of whether such regulation is legitimate and whether it does in fact result in the sacrifice of certain fundamental human rights. The book draws on representative studies with European children concerning their actual online risk experiences as well as an extensive review of regulatory rationales in the European Union, to contend that the institutions of the western European welfare states charged with protecting children have changed fundamentally, at the cost of the level of security that they provide. In consequence, children at once have more rights with regard to their personal decision making as digital consumers, yet fewer democratic rights to participation and protection as ’digital citizens’. A theoretically informed, yet empirically grounded study of the relationship between core democratic values and the duty to protect young people in the media-sphere, Children in the Online World will appeal to scholars and students across the social sciences with interests in new technologies, risk and the sociology of childhood and youth.

As the internet and new online technologies are becoming embedded in everyday life, there are increasing questions about their social implications and consequences. Children, young people and their families tend to be at the forefront of new media adoption but they also encounter a range of risky or negative experiences for which they may be unprepared, which are subject to continual change. This book captures the diverse, topical and timely expertise generated by the EU Kids Online project, which brings together 70 researchers in 21 countries across Europe. Each chapter has a distinct pan-European focus resulting in a uniquely comparative approach.

Is your child safe online? Do you know what information they access on a daily basis? The chances are that you are like most parents and the answer is 'no' or, at best, 'I'm not sure'. These days, our kids are more internet-savvy than we are - they know how to unblock privacy settings or get around simple parental controls. Yet more and more frequently there are stories in the news about children being victims of internet crime; whether through Facebook party invites, cyber-bullying or, worse, child grooming. But what can we do about it? As parents, we have a duty to understand the different media our children use and put in place boundaries and guidelines to protect them. Is Your Child Safe Online? has the practical advice you need to minimise the risk and ensure your child is protected today...whilst still letting them do their homework. Covering all forms of new media - iPhones, apps, iPads, twitter, gaming online - as well as social networking sites - Is Your Child Safe Online? keeps you informed of the dangers and reassures with simple, straightforward advice. It arms you with practical methods to make sure your child is safe. All your questions answered... * Do children get any guidelines at school on internet use? * How do children use social networks, chatrooms, instant messaging and blogs? * How do I control what my children look at online, or what information they give out? * What are the effects of time spent online on mental health and social life? How do I educate my children on how they can protect themselves against cyber-bullying and grooming? Give yourself peace of mind with Is Your Child Safe Online? - the book that every careful parent should own. The facts speak for themselves: In the last three years, the number of children belonging to a 'virtual world' has increased from 8 million to 20 million. One in five children aged five to seven are accessing the internet without parental supervision. Make sure YOUR child is safe online.

Is the internet really transforming children and young people’s lives? Is the so-called ‘digital generation’ genuinely benefiting from exciting new opportunities? And, worryingly, facing new risks? This major new book by a leading researcher addresses these pressing questions. It deliberately avoids a techno-celebratory approach and, instead, interprets children’s everyday practices of internet use in relation to the complex and changing historical and cultural conditions of childhood in late modernity. Uniquely, Children and the Internet reveals the complex dynamic between online opportunities and online risks, exploring this in relation to much debated issues such as: Digital in/exclusion Learning and literacy Peer networking and privacy Civic participation Risk and harm Drawing on current theories of identity, development, education and participation, this book includes a refreshingly critical account of the challenging realities undermining the great expectations held out for the internet - from governments, teachers, parents and children themselves. It concludes with a forward-looking framework for policy and regulation designed to advance children’s rights to expression, connection and play online as well as offline.