Executive Summary: This is the first short report on a study of Helplines, an essential component... more Executive Summary: This is the first short report on a study of Helplines, an essential component of the network of Safer Internet Centres coordinated by Insafe. 70% of all helplines are general service helplines with 30% dedicated specifically to internet safety. All helplines offer a confidential service that offers information, support, guidance and referral. Helplines offer a range of services using a variety of platforms: telephone counselling services, email support, support using online chat, text services, online forum, peer support, social networking and in some instances face-to-face support. Among the most important success factors identified by helplines include: ‘positive feedback from callers’, the ‘number of calls’ and ‘participation from stakeholders’. Among the most persistent risks identified by helplines are bullying and cyberbullying (92%) followed by hate speech (88%) and sexual content (75%). Recommendations arising from the study call for development of an ale...
This report presents findings of research undertaken by EU Kids Online on behalf of European Scho... more This report presents findings of research undertaken by EU Kids Online on behalf of European Schoolnet (EUN) on the operations, effectiveness and impact of Insafe helplines. Helplines form an integral part of the Safer Internet Centre (SIC) in each country within the Insafe network of 31 national awareness centres. Helplines provide a confidential counselling and support service and offer information, support, guidance and referral for young people as well as adults with responsibility for children. 2. The purpose of the study was to undertake research that would assist Insafe helplines to develop their effectiveness and demonstrate their impact. This study looked at both the wider context in which helplines operate, the new and emerging risks that internet use may pose for children and young people, the support required and the resources needed to respond effectively, as well as the implications for operational effectiveness. Respondents in the research, which included helpline professionals and volunteers, contributed to a discussion of successes as well as gaps in order to assist in the identification of strategies to support better awareness and monitoring of effectiveness. 3. Case studies of helplines chosen for geographical spread and diversity of service type are included in the study. The report provides a brief profile of helplines in Belgium, Ireland, Malta and Romania with a discussion of their organisational structure and the services and activities provided. There are substantial differences across the Insafe network in the nature and size of helplines. Most in fact are general service helplines with a smaller number of helplines of more recent origin specialising in internet safety issues. 4. Evaluating success and effectiveness is recognised as an important yet challenging task for helplines. Given the sensitive settings in which helplines operate, the development of indicators must combine a range of quantitative and qualitative measures. Possible indicators considered include capturing log data of calls to helplines, the number of calls to the service, the number of successful or resolved calls, levels of public awareness of the helpline, and the quality of input from other stakeholders. Using feedback from callers to gauge the effectiveness of the service is presented as especially important. A third of the helplines who participated in the study do not currently record such feedback and recommendations are made about how to take this forward. In addition, the benefits of working within the Insafe network and the capacity to share best practice on improving the evaluation process and enhancing the relationship between stakeholders and helplines is noted. 5. Helplines are in an ideal position to identify new and emerging risks in relation to internet safety. Through their close interactions with young people, they hear at first hand problems that young people experience online. Collecting this information and using it to develop effective safety responses is now a central part of what helplines do. The report summarises the most prominent current and emerging risks reported by helplines. It also documents the challenges that staff and volunteers encounter in implementing the helpline service. Recommendations for service enhancements are made focussing on better data collection, knowledge exchange, publicity and embedding of monitoring and evaluation activities. This report presents the main findings of the study Insafe helplines: operations, effectiveness and emerging issues for internet safety helplines. The report is organised into six main chapters as follows: Chapter 1-Introduction sets out the main structure and organisation of the project, introducing the key research questions and the research methods used. Chapter 2-Background incorporates a brief review of the literature on the subject of helplines and their role in providing a range of social support services, not just for internet safety. The chapter sets the context for the findings of the study and includes further background on the Insafe network with a summary of helpline activities and statistics.
Basato sui dati raccolti dal progetto Net Children Go Mobile, uno studio transnazionale su bambin... more Basato sui dati raccolti dal progetto Net Children Go Mobile, uno studio transnazionale su bambini di età compresa tra i 9 e i 16 anni in sette paesi europei, con particolare attenzione al contesto irlandese. Questo articolo esamina la mediazione dei genitori delle attività online dei bambini. Viene inoltre esaminata la relazione tra le competenze digitali dei bambini (compreso l'uso di Internet e degli smartphone) e la mediazione dei genitori e vengono evidenziati i fattori che influenzano la mediazione dei genitori. I genitori implementano una serie di strategie, favorendo una stretta mediazione e regole di mediazione attiva sulla sicurezza di Internet, ma queste sono risultate associate con ridotte attività online e competenze digitali dei bambini. Questi risultati mettono alla prova i ricercatori nell'identificare strategie efficaci senza impedire ai bambini la libertà di accesso al mondo online e di avvalersi delle opportunità online. Abstract: Based on data collected f...
This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Centre for Social and Educational R... more This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Centre for Social and Educational Research at ARROW@DIT. It has been accepted for inclusion in Other resources by an authorized administrator of ARROW@DIT. For more information, please contact [email protected] , [email protected]. ... This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License ... Recommended Citation O'Neill, B. Dinh, T.: Digital Literacy, Digital Opportunities. Digital Childhoods Working Paper Series (No.2)
Social networking is a hugely popular and fast-growing online activity for young people in Irelan... more Social networking is a hugely popular and fast-growing online activity for young people in Ireland. In the EU Kids Online survey, while SNS use was not the most frequently mentioned online activity ('watching video clips' and 'playing computer games' were the most often cited items), it features across all age groups, and particularly so for teenagers.
Despite being worried that children may compromise their privacy by disclosing too much personal ... more Despite being worried that children may compromise their privacy by disclosing too much personal data online, many parents paradoxically share pictures and information about their children themselves, a practice called sharenting. In this article we utilise data from the EU Kids Online survey to investigate this paradox. We examine both how individual characteristics such as demographics and digital skills, and relational factors, including parental mediation styles, concerns about children's privacy, and communication between parents and children influence sharenting practices. Counter-intuitively, our findings show that parents with higher levels of digital skills are more likely to engage in sharenting. Furthermore, parents who actively mediate their children's use of the internet and are more concerned about the privacy of their children, are also more likely to engage in sharenting. At the same time, and further emphasising the complexities of this relational practice, many parents do not ask for their children's consent in advance of sharing information about them. Overall, parents seem to consider the social benefits of sharenting to outweigh the potential risks both for themselves and for their children. Given the paradoxical complexities of sharenting practices, we propose further research is required to distinguish between different kinds of sharenting and their potential implications for children and young people's right to privacy.
Taoiseach. (1999). Implementing the Information Society in Ireland: An Action Plan. Dublin: Depar... more Taoiseach. (1999). Implementing the Information Society in Ireland: An Action Plan. Dublin: Department of the Taoiseach. term, it published a series of reports on infrastructure, e-society and e-government, and policies on inclusion and expanding internet participation to all.
Ireland 9 10 12 Average 8 9 12 Q5 How old were you when you first used the internet? Q6 How old w... more Ireland 9 10 12 Average 8 9 12 Q5 How old were you when you first used the internet? Q6 How old were you when you got your first mobile phone (a phone which is not a smartphone)? Q7 How old were you when you got your first smartphone? Base: All children who use the internet
The harmful effects of bullying and harassment on children have long been of concern to parents, ... more The harmful effects of bullying and harassment on children have long been of concern to parents, educators, and policy makers. The online world presents a new environment in which vulnerable children can be victimized and a space where perpetrators find new ways to perform acts of harassment. While online bullying is often considered to be an extension of persistent offline behavior, according to EU Kids Online (2011), the most common form of bullying is in person, face-to-face. With the rise in use of mobile Internet technologies, this balance is changing. Increased levels of use and more time spent online accessed through a variety of devices has increased children's exposure to a range of online risks, including cyberbullying. This article presents the findings of the Net Children Go Mobile project, a cross-national study of children aged 9-16 in seven European countries. The research builds on the work of EU Kids Online and supports the identification of new trends in children's online experiences of risk and safety. The study finds that while overall levels of bullying have remained relatively static, levels of online bullying have increased, particularly among younger teens. The relationship between cyberbullying and the use of mobile Internet technologies is examined and factors contributing to increased levels of cyberbullying are highlighted.
Summary Parents in Ireland do take an active interest in their children’s internet use. However, ... more Summary Parents in Ireland do take an active interest in their children’s internet use. However, they tend to be more restrictive in their approach compared to other countries in Europe with a consequent reduction in children’s online opportunities. This report compares young people’s and parents’ responses in the EU Kids Online survey. It shows that parents are not always aware
Executive Summary: This is the first short report on a study of Helplines, an essential component... more Executive Summary: This is the first short report on a study of Helplines, an essential component of the network of Safer Internet Centres coordinated by Insafe. 70% of all helplines are general service helplines with 30% dedicated specifically to internet safety. All helplines offer a confidential service that offers information, support, guidance and referral. Helplines offer a range of services using a variety of platforms: telephone counselling services, email support, support using online chat, text services, online forum, peer support, social networking and in some instances face-to-face support. Among the most important success factors identified by helplines include: ‘positive feedback from callers’, the ‘number of calls’ and ‘participation from stakeholders’. Among the most persistent risks identified by helplines are bullying and cyberbullying (92%) followed by hate speech (88%) and sexual content (75%). Recommendations arising from the study call for development of an ale...
This report presents findings of research undertaken by EU Kids Online on behalf of European Scho... more This report presents findings of research undertaken by EU Kids Online on behalf of European Schoolnet (EUN) on the operations, effectiveness and impact of Insafe helplines. Helplines form an integral part of the Safer Internet Centre (SIC) in each country within the Insafe network of 31 national awareness centres. Helplines provide a confidential counselling and support service and offer information, support, guidance and referral for young people as well as adults with responsibility for children. 2. The purpose of the study was to undertake research that would assist Insafe helplines to develop their effectiveness and demonstrate their impact. This study looked at both the wider context in which helplines operate, the new and emerging risks that internet use may pose for children and young people, the support required and the resources needed to respond effectively, as well as the implications for operational effectiveness. Respondents in the research, which included helpline professionals and volunteers, contributed to a discussion of successes as well as gaps in order to assist in the identification of strategies to support better awareness and monitoring of effectiveness. 3. Case studies of helplines chosen for geographical spread and diversity of service type are included in the study. The report provides a brief profile of helplines in Belgium, Ireland, Malta and Romania with a discussion of their organisational structure and the services and activities provided. There are substantial differences across the Insafe network in the nature and size of helplines. Most in fact are general service helplines with a smaller number of helplines of more recent origin specialising in internet safety issues. 4. Evaluating success and effectiveness is recognised as an important yet challenging task for helplines. Given the sensitive settings in which helplines operate, the development of indicators must combine a range of quantitative and qualitative measures. Possible indicators considered include capturing log data of calls to helplines, the number of calls to the service, the number of successful or resolved calls, levels of public awareness of the helpline, and the quality of input from other stakeholders. Using feedback from callers to gauge the effectiveness of the service is presented as especially important. A third of the helplines who participated in the study do not currently record such feedback and recommendations are made about how to take this forward. In addition, the benefits of working within the Insafe network and the capacity to share best practice on improving the evaluation process and enhancing the relationship between stakeholders and helplines is noted. 5. Helplines are in an ideal position to identify new and emerging risks in relation to internet safety. Through their close interactions with young people, they hear at first hand problems that young people experience online. Collecting this information and using it to develop effective safety responses is now a central part of what helplines do. The report summarises the most prominent current and emerging risks reported by helplines. It also documents the challenges that staff and volunteers encounter in implementing the helpline service. Recommendations for service enhancements are made focussing on better data collection, knowledge exchange, publicity and embedding of monitoring and evaluation activities. This report presents the main findings of the study Insafe helplines: operations, effectiveness and emerging issues for internet safety helplines. The report is organised into six main chapters as follows: Chapter 1-Introduction sets out the main structure and organisation of the project, introducing the key research questions and the research methods used. Chapter 2-Background incorporates a brief review of the literature on the subject of helplines and their role in providing a range of social support services, not just for internet safety. The chapter sets the context for the findings of the study and includes further background on the Insafe network with a summary of helpline activities and statistics.
Basato sui dati raccolti dal progetto Net Children Go Mobile, uno studio transnazionale su bambin... more Basato sui dati raccolti dal progetto Net Children Go Mobile, uno studio transnazionale su bambini di età compresa tra i 9 e i 16 anni in sette paesi europei, con particolare attenzione al contesto irlandese. Questo articolo esamina la mediazione dei genitori delle attività online dei bambini. Viene inoltre esaminata la relazione tra le competenze digitali dei bambini (compreso l'uso di Internet e degli smartphone) e la mediazione dei genitori e vengono evidenziati i fattori che influenzano la mediazione dei genitori. I genitori implementano una serie di strategie, favorendo una stretta mediazione e regole di mediazione attiva sulla sicurezza di Internet, ma queste sono risultate associate con ridotte attività online e competenze digitali dei bambini. Questi risultati mettono alla prova i ricercatori nell'identificare strategie efficaci senza impedire ai bambini la libertà di accesso al mondo online e di avvalersi delle opportunità online. Abstract: Based on data collected f...
This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Centre for Social and Educational R... more This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Centre for Social and Educational Research at ARROW@DIT. It has been accepted for inclusion in Other resources by an authorized administrator of ARROW@DIT. For more information, please contact [email protected] , [email protected]. ... This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License ... Recommended Citation O'Neill, B. Dinh, T.: Digital Literacy, Digital Opportunities. Digital Childhoods Working Paper Series (No.2)
Social networking is a hugely popular and fast-growing online activity for young people in Irelan... more Social networking is a hugely popular and fast-growing online activity for young people in Ireland. In the EU Kids Online survey, while SNS use was not the most frequently mentioned online activity ('watching video clips' and 'playing computer games' were the most often cited items), it features across all age groups, and particularly so for teenagers.
Despite being worried that children may compromise their privacy by disclosing too much personal ... more Despite being worried that children may compromise their privacy by disclosing too much personal data online, many parents paradoxically share pictures and information about their children themselves, a practice called sharenting. In this article we utilise data from the EU Kids Online survey to investigate this paradox. We examine both how individual characteristics such as demographics and digital skills, and relational factors, including parental mediation styles, concerns about children's privacy, and communication between parents and children influence sharenting practices. Counter-intuitively, our findings show that parents with higher levels of digital skills are more likely to engage in sharenting. Furthermore, parents who actively mediate their children's use of the internet and are more concerned about the privacy of their children, are also more likely to engage in sharenting. At the same time, and further emphasising the complexities of this relational practice, many parents do not ask for their children's consent in advance of sharing information about them. Overall, parents seem to consider the social benefits of sharenting to outweigh the potential risks both for themselves and for their children. Given the paradoxical complexities of sharenting practices, we propose further research is required to distinguish between different kinds of sharenting and their potential implications for children and young people's right to privacy.
Taoiseach. (1999). Implementing the Information Society in Ireland: An Action Plan. Dublin: Depar... more Taoiseach. (1999). Implementing the Information Society in Ireland: An Action Plan. Dublin: Department of the Taoiseach. term, it published a series of reports on infrastructure, e-society and e-government, and policies on inclusion and expanding internet participation to all.
Ireland 9 10 12 Average 8 9 12 Q5 How old were you when you first used the internet? Q6 How old w... more Ireland 9 10 12 Average 8 9 12 Q5 How old were you when you first used the internet? Q6 How old were you when you got your first mobile phone (a phone which is not a smartphone)? Q7 How old were you when you got your first smartphone? Base: All children who use the internet
The harmful effects of bullying and harassment on children have long been of concern to parents, ... more The harmful effects of bullying and harassment on children have long been of concern to parents, educators, and policy makers. The online world presents a new environment in which vulnerable children can be victimized and a space where perpetrators find new ways to perform acts of harassment. While online bullying is often considered to be an extension of persistent offline behavior, according to EU Kids Online (2011), the most common form of bullying is in person, face-to-face. With the rise in use of mobile Internet technologies, this balance is changing. Increased levels of use and more time spent online accessed through a variety of devices has increased children's exposure to a range of online risks, including cyberbullying. This article presents the findings of the Net Children Go Mobile project, a cross-national study of children aged 9-16 in seven European countries. The research builds on the work of EU Kids Online and supports the identification of new trends in children's online experiences of risk and safety. The study finds that while overall levels of bullying have remained relatively static, levels of online bullying have increased, particularly among younger teens. The relationship between cyberbullying and the use of mobile Internet technologies is examined and factors contributing to increased levels of cyberbullying are highlighted.
Summary Parents in Ireland do take an active interest in their children’s internet use. However, ... more Summary Parents in Ireland do take an active interest in their children’s internet use. However, they tend to be more restrictive in their approach compared to other countries in Europe with a consequent reduction in children’s online opportunities. This report compares young people’s and parents’ responses in the EU Kids Online survey. It shows that parents are not always aware
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