Children and Online Opportunities, Risk and Safety

EU Kids Online is a thematic network directed by Sonia Livingstone and funded by the EC Safer Internet plus Programme. See www.eukidsonline.net|| for information on both projects and for downloadable copies of all reports. For further updates, please sign up on the website.

• The first project, EU Kids Online I (2006-9), examined European research on cultural, contextual and risk issues in children's safe use of the internet and new media in 21 member states.
• The second project, EU Kids Online II (2009-11) is conducting a multinational comparative survey of children's online uses, risks, safety and parental mediation across Europe.
• The third Project, EU Kids Online III (2011-2014) will begin in Autumn 2011.
• See Livingstone, S., and Haddon, L. (Eds.) (2009) Kids Online: Opportunities and Risks for Children. Bristol: The Policy Press.
• Livingstone, S., Haddon, L., and Gorzig, A. (Eds.) (due 2012) Children, Risk and Safety on the Internet: Kids online in comparative perspective. Bristol: The Policy Press.

UK Children Go Online was an ESRC funded project which combined a national survey of 9-19 year olds and their parents with a range of qualitative methods to ask how the internet may be transforming - or may itself be shaped by - family life, peer networks, risks to inclusion and safety, and informal learning processes.

• See Livingstone, S. (2009) Children and the Internet: Great Expectations, Challenging Realities. Cambridge: Polity.

For more on children and the internet, see:

• Livingstone, S. (1998) Guest editor for special issue, 'Young People and the New Media in Europe.' European Journal of Communication, 13(4).
• Livingstone, S. (2001) Online freedom and safety for children. IPPR/Citizens Online Research Publication No. 3.
• Livingstone, S., and Bober, M. (2003) UK children go online: Listening to young people's experiences. London: LSE Report.
• Livingstone, S., and Bober, M. (2004) UK children go online: Surveying the experiences of young people and their parents. London: LSE Report.
• Livingstone, S., Bober, M., and Helsper, E. J. (2004) Active Participation or Just More Information? Young people's take up of opportunities to act and interact on the internet. London: LSE Report.
• Livingstone, S., and Bober, M. (2004) Taking up opportunities? Children's uses of the internet for education, communication and participation. E-Learning, 1(3), 395-419.
• Livingstone, S. (2005) Mediating the public/private boundary at home: Children's use of the internet for privacy and participation. Journal of Media Practice, 6(1), 41-51.
• Livingstone, S., Bober, M., and Helsper, E. J. (2005) Active participation or just more information? Young people's take up of opportunities to act and interact on the internet. Information, Communication and Society, 8(3), 287-314.
• Livingstone, S., Bober, M., and Helsper, E. J. (2005) Internet literacy among children and young people. London: LSE Report.
• Livingstone, S., Bober, M., and Helsper, E. J. (2005) Inequalities and the digital divide in children and young people's internet use. London: LSE Report.
• Livingstone, S. and Bober, M. (2005) UK children go online: Final report of key project findings. London: LSE Research Online.
• Livingstone, S. (2006) Drawing conclusions from new media research: Reflections and puzzles regarding children's experience of the internet. The Information Society, 22(4), 219-230.
• Livingstone, S., and Bober, M. (2006) Regulating the internet at home: Contrasting the perspectives of children and parents. In D. Buckingham and R. Willett (Eds.), Digital Generations (93-113). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
• Livingstone, S. (2007) Strategies of parental regulation in the media-rich home. Computers in Human Behavior, 23(3), 920-941.
• Livingstone, S., and Helsper, E. J. (2007) Gradations in digital inclusion: Children, young people and the digital divide. New Media & Society, 9: 671-696.
• Livingstone, S. (2007) The challenge of engaging youth online: Contrasting producers' and teenagers' interpretations of websites. European Journal of Communication, 22(2), 165-184.
• Livingstone, S., and Bober, M. (2007) UK children go online: A child-centred approach to the experience of using the internet. In B. Anderson, M. Brynin, J. Gershuny and Y. Raban (Eds.), Information and Communication Technologies in Society: E-Living in a Digital Europe. pp. 104-118.
• Livingstone, S. (2008) Taking risky opportunities in youthful content creation: teenagers use of social networking sites for intimacy, privacy and self-expression. New Media & Society, 10(3): 393-411. http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/27072
• Livingstone, S., and Haddon, L. (2008) Risky experiences for European children online: Charting research strengths and research gaps. Children and Society, 22: 314-323. http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/27076/
• Livingstone, S., and Helsper, E. J. (2008) Parental mediation of children's internet use. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 52(4), 581-599. http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/25723/
• Livingstone, S., and Tsatsou, P. (2009) Guest editors, for special issue, 'European Children Go Online: Issues, findings and policy matters.' Journal of Children and Media, 3(4).
• Staksrud, E., and Livingstone, S. (2009) Children and online risk: Powerless victims or resourceful participants? Information, Communication and Society, 12(3): 364-387. http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/30122
• Livingstone, S., and Brake, D. (2009) On the rapid rise of social networking sites: New findings and policy implications. Children and Society, 24(1): 75-83. http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/30124
• Livingstone, S. and Helsper, E.J. (2010) Balancing opportunities and risks in teenagers use of the internet: The role of online skills and internet self-efficacy. New Media & Society, 12(2): 309-329.
• Livingstone, S. (2011) Digital learning and participation among youth. International Journal of Learning and Media, 2(2-3): 1-13.
• Livingstone, S., Mascheroni, G., and Murru, M. F. (2011) Social networking among European children: new findings on privacy, identity and connection. Hermes, 59: 89-98.
• Livingstone, S. (in preparation) Guest editor for special issue, 'Children, Internet and Risk in Comparative Perspective.' Journal of Children and Media.