With at least 70% of children aged 8-18 in Saudia Arabia now having access to their own smartphones or tablet computers, the protection of children against online abuse has become a key issue. In this post Abeer Khalid Alsaiari outlines the latest legislation and campaigns within the Middle East aimed at tackling the issue, and why cultural taboos surrounding online […]
As we prepare to break for the Easter holidays, we take a look back at our posts so far this year. [Header image credit: E. Tjallinks-CC-BY-NC-SA-2.0]
Children’s rights and privacy
Once more the rights of the child and the protection of their privacy online have been key concerns. Last week, we reflected on the 30th Anniversary of the UN Convention on the […]
As governments seek to tackle a variety of problems of the digital age, media (or digital) literacy is often cited as the solution, partly because it is far less controversial than attempting to regulate the internet. LSE Professor Sonia Livingstone, chair of the LSE Commission on Truth, Trust and Technology, stresses the complexity of the challenges involved in improving media literacy, and the first steps that policy makers […]
While it is important to highlight the risks which the internet may pose to children, a balance must be struck when it comes to online safety which acknowledges the many benefits and opportunities the internet offers. In this post, Colin Green outlines how the UK Council for Child Internet Safety’s (UKCCIS) Educating Children for a Connected World framework may help in […]
Amidst many negative headlines throughout 2018 about safety and wellbeing of children online, there were some positive stories too. Here Anne Collier outlines developments in areas including cyberbullying, screen time, social-emotional literacy, content moderation and policy on fake news. Anne Collier is founder and executive director of The Net Safety Collaborative, home of the US’s social media helpline for schools. She has been […]
Family Fund is a UK charity which provides computers and tablets to lower-income families raising disabled or seriously ill children. In this post, Jenny Laycock describes the lessons learned from its latest programme, which aimed to improve families’ digital skills, and teamed up with another charity, AbilityNet, and volunteer networks to extend its support. They found that providing a […]
Wealthier teens in the developed world are shunning Facebook and switching to image- and video-based social media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat. In this post, David R Brake considers the potential consequences for political engagement and inequality. David is an alumnus of the Media department at LSE and his research interests include digital divides and digital media literacy, privacy in online contexts, mediated […]
As the year draws to a close, we take a look back at our recent posts and ahead to what’s new for 2019. [Header image credit: C. Sunter, CC BY-ND 2.0.jpg]
Children’s privacy and data online
Post-GDPR and post-Cambridge Analytica, privacy remained a major topic for discussion, from children’s data that we willingly post on social media when ‘sharenting’, to that which […]
The Impact of Social Media project aims to provide highly interactive student-centred classroom activities for use both within and beyond the classroom. The open-access materials were designed to support the curricula in the UK and Hong Kong, but have since been taken up by teachers and students internationally. Laura Pountney is a teacher in sociology, a senior examiner for anthropology and the author of several textbooks. Laura […]
In this post Dr Alicia Blum-Ross interviews Dr Eric Rasmussen about his book, Media Maze: Unconventional Wisdom for Guiding Children Through Media, which argues in parent-friendly language that the secret to protecting kids online is to change parents’ focus from protecting them to empowering them. Eric is an Associate Professor in the College of Media & Communication at Texas Tech University and is […]
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