How do children and adolescents in Europe use the Internet; which risks do they encounter and how do they handle them? The project EU Kids Online has been dealing with these questions since 2006.
The international research project EU Kids Online analyses how children in 33 different countries use the internet. The aim of the network is to conduct its own studies that provide a basis for further recommendations regarding the fields of media education, law and politics. In addition, the team revewis existing findings on online use, processes these findings and identifies research gaps.
The key findings of the last representative survey from 2019 were presented in Berlin, Sept 19th, 2019.
The project was started in 2006 under the direction of Sonia Livingstone, in 2014 Uwe Hasebrink took over the coordination of the research network.
Since 2019, the fifth phase has not only focused on the consolidation of the network, but also on the realisation of a new internationally comparative representative survey following the 2010 survey.
EU Kids Online is a dynamic research network that many new countries have joined over the past years. By now, 33 states take part in the research project. All academic details along with reports and publications about the project can be found here: www.eukidsonline.net.
Furthermore, the “European Evidence Base” gives access to numerous studies on how children in Europe use the internet. The website www.eukidsonline.de provides information regarding current developments for the German speaking community.
Five Project Phases
The whole project was divided into different subprojects:
EU Kids Online V (2019-2021): The fifth phase of the project focused on the implementation of a second representative survey on online use by nine- to 17-year-olds in Germany. 1,000 children and adolescents as well as one parent were interviewed. The questionnaire was closely based on the instrument of the first survey in order to be able to carry out temporal comparisons, but was adapted in view of current developments concerning offers and topics.
EU Kids Online IV (2014-2018): The fourth part of the project focused on stabilising both the research network and all previous network activities (such as extending the international online database), as well as on arranging a second international representative survey, along with the initiation of new research activities. Uwe Hasebrink coordinated the overall project during this period.
EU Kids Online III (2011-2014): In the third project period, the database was updated und extended with surveys on the online usage of children in Europe. Furthermore, data from the Europe-wide representative survey was evaluated more deeply and published in short reports. In addition, qualitative interviews regarding the risk-understanding of children were conducted in selected countries (Smahel/Wright 2014). Uwe Hasebrink coordinated the deepening analysis of the quantitative data in this project period, in which the research network was joined by partners from Croatia, Latvia, Malta, Luxemburg, Slovakia, Russia and Switzerland. The findings and recommendations for action were published in an interactive final report.
EU Kids Online II (2009-2011): In the context of a representative survey during the second project period, 1,000 children between age 9 and 17 and one parent at a time were interviewed in 25 European countries regarding their online-usage. The survey provides information on the opportunities and risks related to online usage and allows the verification of hypotheses, which have come up during the first project, but could not yet be examined due to the previous database. Uwe Hasebrink coordinated the data analysis in this project. The preliminary results of the survey were presented at the Safer Internet Forum in Luxemburg in 2010, as well as at the conference “Growing Up in Digital Society: Internet and Value-Orientation in the Daily Life of Children and Adolescents in Germany and Europe” (event by the Landeszentrale für Medien und Kommunikation Rheinland-Pfalz [State Centre for Media and Communication Rhineland-Palatinate] and the Hans-Bredow-Institut) in Berlin on 7 December 2010.
EU Kids Online I (2006-2009): The first period focused on an inventory of Europe-wide available data on online-usage of children. Furthermore, methodical questions and challenges regarding internationally comparative research were discussed. Recommendations for future research projects and for a safe usage of the Internet and other online services were hereby established.
