Drawing Conclusions from New Media Research: Reflections and Puzzles Regarding Children's Experience of the Internet

New media studies are now benefiting from a burgeoning of empirical studies and theoretical analyses from diverse academic disciplines seeking to locate new media, especially the Internet, within longstanding traditions of social science research. By reviewing and reflecting upon findings from UK Children Go Online, a multimethod research project examining the role of the Internet in children's and young people's everyday lives, the present article takes the opportunity to draw out some general conclusions, and associated puzzles, to guide future research. These contribute toward an emerging framework for understanding questions regarding new media access, use, and consequences within the social, cultural, and political parameters of young people's lives. A range of research findings are discussed that illuminate the shifting balance of opportunities and risks posed by the Internet for children, youth, and the family.

Keywords:

• Children and young people
• Internet
• home
• digital divide
• literacy
• participation

Acknowledgments

This article reports on research funded by an Economic and Social Research Council grant (RES-335-25-0008) as part of the UK “e-Society” Programme, with cofunding from AOL-UK, BSC, Childnet-International, Citizens Online, ITC, and Ofcom (see http://www.children-go-online.net). Thanks to Magdalena Bober, Ellen Helsper, the project's Advisory Panel, its Children's Advisory Panel, and BMRB International.

Notes

¹ Nonusers (Age and socio-economic group differences significant p < 0.01).

² Total access points (Gender, age and socio-economic group differences significant p < 0.01).

³ Access at home (Age and socio-economic group differences significant p < 0.01).

⁴ Broadband access (Socio-economic group differences significant p < 0.01)

⁵ Bedroom access (Gender, age and socio-economic group differences significant p < 0.01)