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    More clarity brings more confusion: what the European General Data Protection Regulations mean for UK children

More clarity brings more confusion: what the European General Data Protection Regulations mean for UK children

The debate around the upcoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is leaving many questions unanswered. In this post, Sonia Livingstone and DaYoung Yoo reflect on the discussions surrounding the forthcoming regulations and what it will mean for children. Sonia is Professor of Social Psychology at LSE’s Department of Media and Communications and has more than 25 years of experience in media research […]

February 21st, 2018|Featured, In the news|0 Comments|
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    Tackling fake news: Towards a new approach to digital literacy

Tackling fake news: Towards a new approach to digital literacy

Yesterday commenced the UNESCO Global Media and Information Literacy Week (MIL) which celebrates the goal of ‘MIL for all’. In the efforts towards this goal, we are discussing the issue of fake news stories, which have been a topic of discussion since the 2016 US Presidential election. In this post, Gianfranco Polizzi explains what critical digital literacy means and the role it could play in […]

October 26th, 2017|Featured, In the news|5 Comments|
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Could a child sue their parents for sharenting?

Yesterday, the House of Lords debated the new Data Protection Bill which will update regulations about data processing. Focussing on children’s rights to privacy, Claire Bessant outlines the legal remedies a child who objects to parental sharenting might consider using to remove sharented information. She discusses confidence, Misuse of Private Information and Data Protection to show the complexity of protecting […]

October 11th, 2017|Featured, In the news|2 Comments|
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Coding for what?

Because this week is National Coding Week in the UK, we are discussing the potential consequences of young people learning to code. While there is legitimate and growing call for kids to learn to code, it is essential that we think carefully and critically about what that entails. In light of potential risks or destructive effects, this post by Ben Williamson explores why coding […]

September 27th, 2017|Featured, In the news|3 Comments|
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No, the internet is not actually stealing kids’ innocence

Is media use harmful to kids?  Sonia Livingstone reflects on ‘media panic’ that attributes issues such sexual assault to children using the internet, outlining problems with existing evidence and suggestions for future approaches. Sonia is Professor of Social Psychology at LSE’s Department of Media and Communications and has more than 25 years of experience in media research with a particular focus on children and […]

August 16th, 2017|Featured, In the news, Our publications|0 Comments|
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The Blue Whale game paradox, digital literacy and fake news

Last week there were a number of news reports about the harmful effects of social media on the mental health of teens and young people. Responding to this, we are publishing two posts this week that address the topic. The first post was about young people encountering inappropriate content online. This second post by Gianfranco Polizzi looks at the Blue […]

May 25th, 2017|Featured, In the news, Reflections|9 Comments|
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Young people online: Encounters with inappropriate content

Last week there were a number of news reports about the harmful effects of social media on the mental health of teens and young people. Responding to this, we are publishing two posts this week that address the topic. First, this post by Rose Bray details the findings of the NSPCC and O2’s Net Aware research.

Investigating the nature of, […]

May 23rd, 2017|Featured, In the news, Reflections|0 Comments|
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    BBC interview dad, and the joys and perils of parenting on the internet

BBC interview dad, and the joys and perils of parenting on the internet

Alicia Blum-Ross takes a closer look at the infamous ‘BBC interview dad,’ and the representation of parenting on the internet to explore the delicate and unique balancing act of those families who achieve unintended viral success. Alicia is a researcher at the LSE’s Department of Media and Communications. In addition to her work on the Parenting for a Digital Future research project, she is interested […]

March 16th, 2017|Featured, In the news, Reflections|2 Comments|
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    How Brexit could affect media content for children and families

How Brexit could affect media content for children and families

Wendy M. Grossman provides a non-lawyer’s first stab at thinking though what the UK can and cannot change if and when the government pulls the trigger to begin exit negotiations from the EU. She discusses how children may grow up in a vastly different national landscape than the one we know today. Wendy writes about the border wars between cyberspace […]

November 16th, 2016|Featured, In the news, Reflections|1 Comment|
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    New ‘screen time’ rules from the American Academy of Pediatrics

New ‘screen time’ rules from the American Academy of Pediatrics

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has just revised its stance on screen time. Sonia Livingstone takes a closer look at the new recommendations and their evidence base. She argues that while the new guidelines fit better with the current circumstances of family lives, the AAP faces a dilemma: there isn’t yet a robust body of research on the effects of digital media on children, yet […]

October 21st, 2016|Featured, In the news|14 Comments|
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