Research updates

Making the internet safer for children: the global evidence

6th February 2018

On Safer Internet Day 2018, Global Kids Online partners recognise the pressing need to research and support children’s rights in a digital age. To harness the positive potential of children’s internet use and to limit the harm, it is vital to understand how children are developing digital skills and citizenship, and to use the evidence to inform future policy and practice in a way that also includes the voices of children and parents.

How can using our research make an impact?

26th January 2018

Today Global Kids Online is launching its new impact tools to guide and support researchers in planning effective research impact strategies and activities. These are the result of collaboration with country partners and experts over the past 18 months in a joint effort to find the best ways to use research evidence to support children’s rights in the digital environment.

UNICEF Argentina’s work on promoting digital citizenship

14th January 2018

Based on the research findings from the recent Global Kids Online study, UNICEF Argentina has been working with a range of stakeholders to promote children’s digital citizenship and literacy as part of its knowledge exchange and impact efforts. The team has been trying to introduce a more comprehensive approach to supporting children’s internet use which focuses on children’s rights and digital citizenship, online opportunities, digital skills, and online protection.

Highlights from the past year of GKO research

18th December 2017

Global Kids Online has been gathering new evidence on children’s online opportunities and risks via representative surveys in the Philippines, Uruguay, and Ghana. This adds to the existing database from seven other countries. The members of the network have also spent the year working on maximising the impact from the research findings.

Make the digital world safer for children

11th December 2017

Global Kids Online research evidence was used in UNICEF’s annual flagship report on The State of the World’s Children 2017: Children in a digital world launched today. Despite children’s substantial online presence – 1 in 3 internet users worldwide is a child – too little is done to protect them from the perils of the digital world and to increase their access to safe online content, is argued in the report.

Brazil: 24.3 million children are now online

28th November 2017

The Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br) just launched the results of the latest ICT Kids Online Brazil survey, conducted annually since 2012. Based on home-based computer-assisted interviews with 2,999 children and their parent or guardian, the survey highlights key issues related to internet access, online opportunities, and safe internet use.

Recognising online hurtful behaviour among peers

17th November 2017

Global Kids Online examines a wide set of hurtful behaviours that children encounter online alongside the opportunities that the internet affords. Our approach recognises the connections between online and offline experiences and avoids the assumption that all online risks are inherently harmful. This research brief summarises key comparative findings on hurtful behaviour amongst peers.

South Africa: using evidence to influence policy

13th November 2017

The Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention used the novel research findings from Global Kids Online to inform the current policy priorities, legislation, as well as the general public discourse on children’s risks and opportunities. In a context where robust evidence on children’s use of the internet is only beginning to emerge, many efforts are concentrated on identifying the gaps and working with stakeholders on carefully formulating the key priorities.

Impact work in Bulgaria: using evidence to promote digital literacy

27th October 2017

Using the evidence from the Global Kids Online study, the Applied Research and Communication Fund chose strategic priorities for their knowledge exchange and impact efforts. Selecting a focus on children’s digital and media literacy, the Fund now utilises a number of long-term partnerships and collaborations towards the effective creation of new educational and training opportunities.