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EU Kids Online About

About the project

EU Kids Online aims to coordinate and stimulate investigation into the way children use new media

EU Kids Online is a multinational research network. It seeks to enhance knowledge of European children's online opportunities, risks and safety. It uses multiple methods to map children's and parents' experience of the internet, in dialogue with national and European policy stakeholders. Since 2014, the network has been directed by Professor Uwe Hasebrink, Leibniz-Institut für Medienforschung | Hans-Bredow-Institut (HBI), Germany.

It has been funded by the  programme.

EU Kids Online - Introduction

 

EU Kids Online IV, 2014-21

This ‘thematic network’ has 33 countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus. the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK, as well as affiliates in Australia, Brazil and Chile. 

Given the accumulated expertise of the network and its eminent role as an actor providing solid empirical evidence for multi-stakeholder processes on the European as well as on the national level, the network decided to continue the network activities and to conduct a second representive survey on children and online risks and opportunies to expand the evidence on international level. For this, the network (Livingstone, Mascheroni and Staksrud 2015) has elaborated a  for research on children’s online experiences. The network also continues to update the , documenting and coding recent and updated evidence about children’s use of new media across Europe. Furthermore, EU Kids Online members initiate new collaborative cross-national projects on special topics (e.g. young children and online use, cyberbullying etc.). Findings are published in  and disseminated within national, European and international research forums and among national, European and international stakeholders. Thematic reports cover , , a , ,  and .

EU Kids Online III, 2011-14

This ‘thematic network’ consisted of 33 countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus. the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK, as well as affiliates in Australia and Brazil. 

The network updated and extended the , including a summary in English of key findings and an  on research patterns and gaps. It also updated the methodological  and reported on  for research with children. Thematic reports addressed disadvantaged families, a , , the internet use of , , , , evidence for , children’s , , , ,  and a . The final empirical project was a cross-national qualitative study of the .

See here for further information.

EU Kids Online II, 2009-11

This ‘knowledge enhancement’ project included 25 countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the UK.

The main focus was a survey of children and parents to produce original, rigorous data on their internet use, risk experiences and safety mediation. This aimed to (i) produce new, relevant, robust and comparable findings regarding the incidence of online risk among European children; (ii) pinpoint which children are particularly at risk and why, by examining vulnerability factors (at both individual and country levels); and (iii) examine the operation and effectiveness of parental regulation and awareness strategies, and children's own coping responses to risk, including their media literacy.

A random stratified sample of 25,142 children aged 9-16 who use the internet, plus one of their parents, was interviewed during Spring/Summer 2010 in 25 European countries. The  investigated key online risks: pornography, bullying, receiving sexual messages, contact with people not known face-to-face, offline meetings with online contacts, potentially harmful user-generated content and personal data misuse. In addition to a  of the full findings, the network produced a series of thematic reports on , , , , ,  and . Country  and policy completed the analysis, all encapsulated in the final . Further information.

EU Kids Online I, 2006-9

This was a ‘thematic network’ of multidisciplinary researchers in 21 countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

The key questions were: What research exists and what research is still needed? What risks exist, for which technologies, and in relation to which groups of children? How do social, cultural and regulatory influences affect the incidence and experience of, and the responses to, different risks? In accounting for current and ongoing research, and anticipating future research, what factors shape the research capability of European research institutions and networks?

The network identified relevant research to create a publicly accessible database of evidence on children’s use of the internet in Europe. On this basis, we identified  and  across countries to draw conclusions regarding internet risks and safety. To build research capacity, the network critically examined the  involved in studying children and the internet cross-culturally and generated a  for researchers. To contextualise this field of research, our next examined the intellectual, social, institutional and funding regimes across Europe. Finally, the network developed evidence-based policy  for raising awareness, media literacy and other practical actions to promote safer use of the internet for children. All this work was brought together in our final  for stakeholders and an . Further information.