180 | nº 28, pp. 179-199 | doxa.comunicación
January-June of 2019
Media convergence, risk and harm to children online
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
1. Introduction 1
Children are growing up in a system of media convergence (Ito et al., 2009), which provides them with opportunities for socialization, self-expression, learning, creativity, and participation through online media, and increasingly through mobile media (Hjorth & Goggin, 2009; Goggin, 2010; Goggin & Hjorth, 2014). However, in addition to the opportunities offered by Internet, children are also exposed to risks, indicating the interdependence of both (Livingstone, Haddon, Görzig & Ólafsson, 2011): the more children use Internet, the greater the range of opportunities they have, and the greater the exposure to risky experiences.
Mobile media (smartphones and tablets) allow children to have more flexible and personalized habits, and create new opportunities for private use within the home, school and public spaces. The Net Children Go Mobile2 project is based on the analysis of this new reality and its possible consequences for children and their families.
Over the past decade, the number of investigations regarding the risk to minors on the Internet has been substantial (Ólafsson, Livingstone & Haddon, 2013). However, most studies have focused on specific risks in certain countries rather than addressing the experience of risk and harm as a whole from a comparative perspective. One notable exception is the
1 This was a quantitative study carried out in Spain, funded by the Ministry of Economy and finance (MINECO) Project CSO2013-47304-R.
2 The Net Children Go Mobile project involved Denmark, Italy, United Kingdom, Romania, Belgium, Ireland, Portugal and Spain. The quantitative research carried out in Spain was funded through the Project CSO2013-47304-R from MINECO
Abstract:
Mobile media allow children to have more flexible and personalized habits, and create new opportunities for privacy when using them in the home, school and public spaces. The Net Children Go Mobile1 project in which Denmark, Italy, the United Kingdom, Romania, Belgium, Ireland, Portugal and Spain have participated, is based on the analysis of this new reality and its possible consequences for children. This study presents the most significant results of this project in Spain from a survey of 500 Spanish children between 9 and 16 years of age who are Internet users, along with their father or mother. Parents were asked about their children’s use of the Internet and mobile devices, parental mediation strategies, along with socio-demographic information and educations. One of the main findings of this study is that online risk experiences do not necessarily lead to harm. In fact, the EU Kids Online research project showed that children who face the greatest number of online risks are not necessarily the ones who suffer the most harmful consequences; on the contrary, they are usually the ones who have greater skills to deal with such issues and to develop more resistence.
Keywords:
Internet, children, risks, harm, cyberbullying, sexting.
Resumen:
Los medios móviles (smatphones y tabletas) les permiten a los meno-res tener unos hábitos más flexibles y personalizados, y crear nuevas oportunidades de uso privado dentro del hogar, la escuela y el espacio público. El proyecto Net Children Go Mobile, en el que han partici-pado Dinamarca, Italia, Reino Unido, Rumanía, Bélgica, Irlanda, Portugal y España, se basa en el análisis de esta nueva realidad y de sus posibles consecuencias para la infancia. Este estudio presenta los resultados más significativos de este proyecto en España a partir de la encuesta realizada a 500 menores españoles usuarios y usuarias de internet de entre 9 y 16 años y a su padre o a su madre. Uno de los mayores hallazgos de este proyecto es que las experiencias de riesgo online no conducen necesariamente al daño, tal y como indicaron los propios menores. De hecho, la investigación EU Kids Online mostró que los niños y niñas que se encuentran con mayor número de riesgos online no son necesariamente quienes sufren consecuencias más da-ñinas; por el contrario, normalmente son ellos quienes demuestran más habilidades y desarrollan más resiliencia.
Palabras claves:
Internet, menores, riesgos, daño, ciberacoso, sexting.
Received: 16/11/2018 - Accepted: 08/03/2019
Recibido: 16/11/2018 - Aceptado: 08/03/2019
