The EU Kids Online network, which links researchers in 18 European countries, has just released three new reports concerning children and the internet. Report highlights are noted below:

Report on Data Availability
What do we know about children and the internet in Europe? This report provides a detailed analysis of original empirical research identified and coded in EU Kids Online’s online repository - 235 studies in all. It aims to inform policy-makers, practitioners and academics about the nature of the evidence base, research availability and the key gaps. Pressing gaps are identified regarding younger users, new kinds of risk, and mobile/new technologies, as well as a paucity of research in some countries.

Report on the Three-Country Comparison
This report develops a strategy for comparing findings across countries. Tested on research available in Poland, Portugal and the UK, this report aims to guide those concerned with identifying pan-European similarities and differences. A model of risks is developed, and the key childhood influences are scoped. From these, a series of hypotheses are derived that the next year’s work for EU Kids Online will test.

Report reviewing Methodological Issues
This report examines the core issues, lessons and debates that relate to three methodological challenges for research in this field – working with children, researching new online technologies, and conducting cross-national comparisons. It provides a detailed resource for the latest thinking on these challenges, and an extensive bibliography to guide researchers in the field. The conclusions also look ahead to the next task for EU Kids online, namely to produce a practical Best Practice Guide.

Professor Sonia Livingstone & Dr. Leslie Haddon, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)