Published by De Gruyter Mouton

Volume 46 Issue 3 - Special Issue: Through mature and yet fresh eyes: Researching emerging issues in the field of children and media Guest Editors: Veronika Kalmus and Brian O’Neill

Issue of Communications

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Contents
Journal Overview

Publicly Available September 11, 2021

Editorial

September 11, 2021

Through mature and yet fresh eyes: Researching emerging issues in the field of children and media

Veronika Kalmus, Brian O’Neill

Page range: 327-331

Articles

Open Access September 11, 2021

Investigating the digital media engagements of very young children at home: Reflecting on methodology and ethics

Helena Sandberg, Julia Gillen

Page range: 332-351

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Abstract

In the media and communications field, research investigating the digital media engagements of very young children at home has largely been restricted to survey methods relying on parental self-reports. Recognizing that qualitative approaches can provide insights in families’ practices, values, and attitudes, we argue for the fruitfulness of an ethnographic perspective, drawing on three cases from the project “A Day in the Digital Lives of children 0–3;” two in Sweden and one in England. Using the concept of methodological responsibility, we argue that methodology and ethics are intrinsically entwined. We offer reflections on dilemmas and challenges involved in our participatory work with children under three and their families, bringing attention to such issues as ensuring initial and ongoing consent, using a video camera in the home and data sharing and dissemination. Building trust in such sensitive work is a complex process but the rewards are considerable.

Open Access September 11, 2021

Why children’s news matters: The case of CBBC Newsround in the UK

Cynthia Carter, Jeanette Steemers, Máire Messenger Davies

Page range: 352-372

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Abstract

There has never been a greater need for reliable, truthful news to help citizens navigate and assess the veracity of what they are reading and viewing, especially on social media. Widespread concerns around ‘fake’ news demonstrate an enduring requirement for curated and trustworthy children’s news that addresses children as young citizens with certain rights. Drawing on recent UK events, we discuss the case for children’s news provision by public service broadcasting (PSB) from a communication rights perspective by analyzing the BBC’s 2019 plans to reduce the broadcast presence and originated hours of its flagship news service, Newsround , in favor of online distribution.

September 11, 2021

Relating adolescents’ exposure to legacy and digital news media and intergroup contact to their attitudes towards immigrants

Joyce Vissenberg, David De Coninck, Leen d’Haenens

Page range: 373-393

Abstract

Previous research has found that news coverage on immigration is often biased in negative ways and that it inspires the formation of negative attitudes towards immigrants. However, academic research about this link between news consumption and attitudes towards immigrants among adolescents remains limited. The current study aims to test this association from a media-exposure and intergroup-contact perspective using survey data from 875 adolescents in Flanders, Belgium. The findings show that only television news consumption, thus no other types of news consumption, was associated with adolescents’ attitudes towards immigrants. Intergroup contact within the friend group, outside the school context, was linked to more positive attitudes. This study nuances earlier findings that news consumption predicts attitudes towards immigrants. Implications for future research are discussed.

September 11, 2021

Nationwide implementation of media literacy training sessions on internet safety

Aline Tiemann, André Melzer, Georges Steffgen

Page range: 394-418

Abstract

Although numerous media literacy training sessions on internet safety for children and adolescents have been conducted, their number contrasts sharply with the few systematic studies on their effectiveness. In this study, we describe the evaluation of nationwide-implemented training sessions on internet safety in Luxembourg, which included perceptions of learning outcomes and evaluations of implementation and effectiveness. Training data from 2011 to 2018 were analyzed, including 28,060 students and 5,031 teachers. Students reported pronounced learning effects, especially for younger students and for repeated training participation. Teachers greatly appreciated the implementation and effectiveness, which generally increased over the years. The perceived effectiveness of the training was significantly related to teachers’ planning to cover internet safety topics in future lessons. The present study shows that carefully planned and continuously evaluated training sessions on internet safety successfully support children’s understanding and teachers’ willingness to implement internet safety in their curriculum.

Publicly Available September 11, 2021

Exploring European childrenʼs self-reported data on online aggression

Cristina Ponte, Maria João Leote de Carvalho, Susana Batista

Page range: 419-445

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Abstract

To address the topic of children’s online aggression, this article explores a subsample from the EU Kids Online dataset (2017–2019) of 1404 children, aged 9–16, who reported having engaged in aggressive acts online in the previous year. Through a cluster analysis, respondents were classified into three groups. Findings emphasize the risk factors for aggression and how they relate to age-specific developmental tasks. Boys predominate, but the gender gap is not as wide as in offline contexts. For almost half of the children, aggression goes hand in hand with victimization. All the clusters share high levels of emotional deprivation. A sense of lacking social support, from both adults and peers, becomes more relevant among those children with high and more problematic engagement in online aggression. Results confirm that online aggression must be considered within the complex and fluid offline–online continuum cutting across the social contexts in which children grow.

September 11, 2021

Caring dataveillance and the construction of “good parenting”: Estonian parents’ and pre-teens’ reflections on the use of tracking technologies

Marit Sukk, Andra Siibak

Page range: 446-467

Abstract

Digital parenting tools, such as child-tracking technologies, play an ever-increasing role in contemporary child rearing. To explore opinions and experiences related to the use of such tracking devices, we conducted Q methodology and a semi-structured individual interview-study with Estonian parents (n=20) and their 8- to 13-year-old pre-teens (n=20). Our aim was to study how such caring dataveillance was rationalized within the families, and to explore the dominant parenting values associated with the practice. Relying upon communication privacy management theory, the issues of privacy related to such intimate surveillance were also studied. Three factors relating to the use of tracking technologies were extracted from both parents (Tech-Trusting Parent, Cautious Parent and Careful Authoritarian Parent) and pre-teens (Compliant Child, Autonomous Child, and Privacy-Sensitive Child). Tracking technologies were viewed as parental aids that made it possible to ease anxieties and provide assurance to parents and children alike. Although children did not associate the use of tracking technologies with intrusion on privacy, they expected to have a chance to coordinate their privacy boundaries.

About this journal

Objective
Communications: The European Journal of Communication Research is an established forum for scholarship and academic debate in the field of communication science and research from a European perspective. Communication science is concerned with the investigation of the structure and function of communication processes and their impact on society, social groups and individuals. Communications highlights the concerns of this discipline through the publication of articles, research reports, review essays and book reviews on theoretical and methodological developments considered from a European perspective. The journal encompasses the entire field of communication science as its domain of interest. The contributions published in the journal cover a wide range of subfields in communication science.

Topics

Communication reseach
Structure and function of communication
Impact on society, social groups and individuals
Interpersonal communication
Intercultural communication
Mass communication
Communication theory
Philosophy of communication
Media history
Media development and communication technology

Article formats
Original articles, research reports, review essays, and book reviews

Volume 46 Issue 3 - Special Issue: Through mature and yet fresh eyes: Researching emerging issues in the field of children and media Guest Editors: Veronika Kalmus and Brian O’Neill

Issue of Communications

Titelseiten

Through mature and yet fresh eyes: Researching emerging issues in the field of children and media

Investigating the digital media engagements of very young children at home: Reflecting on methodology and ethics

Abstract

Why children’s news matters: The case of CBBC Newsround in the UK

Abstract

Relating adolescents’ exposure to legacy and digital news media and intergroup contact to their attitudes towards immigrants

Abstract

Nationwide implementation of media literacy training sessions on internet safety

Abstract

Exploring European childrenʼs self-reported data on online aggression

Abstract

Caring dataveillance and the construction of “good parenting”: Estonian parents’ and pre-teens’ reflections on the use of tracking technologies

Abstract