Children's strategies on the Internet

Abstract

This paper presents the results of an interview study of 104 12‐year old children. The aim was to learn more about how children use the Internet, what they find negative on the Internet and what coping strategies they use. The media debate seems to display consensus regarding what threats the Internet poses to young people. However, this study shows a discrepancy between children's and adults' views on this subject. The children in the study handle the drawbacks of the Internet well, but they do not discuss this with adults. The study does not paint a picture of naïve children, unable to see actual threats, but of responsible people aware of the threats that exist in their digital environment and with developed methods to avoid such threats.

Keywords:

• children
• counter‐strategies
• Internet

Notes

1. The study was funded by the Swedish Research Council.

2. The quotes have been translated together with an American and a Swedish teenager with the ambition to keep the tone authentic. Some abbreviations are general, such as irl meaning in real life, idk meaning I don't know and w/ meaning with. Others you will probably understand if you read them out loud, since they sound like they are spelled.