Children and the internet in the news: agency, voices and agendas

What’s the problem with “screen time”? A content analysis of dominant voices and worries in three years of national print media

“…Inspired by existing research on press coverage on, for example, children and the internet (Haddon and Stald, 2009; Ponte et al, 2009) a series of a priori organizing units were decided (Table 1), followed by detailed coding of the technology and context being discussed in articles, the problem/effect represented, who/what represented as the culprit , and who/what represented as responsible for acting (or failing to act) on the problem. Data sources (e.g., news genre, sources/voices represented) based on the markers of identity and authority leveraged in each item were also coded.…”

“…Especially due to the ubiquity of mobile technologies, debates about new technological developments in our everyday lives intensified throughout the 2010s. This included the debate about “screens” in mainstream media in a mediated world where news media became increasingly competitive due to new economic models, meaning that clickbait headlines became more common (Tandoc Jr, 2017), the rhetoric more sensationalized (Ponte et al, 2009; Schäfer, 2011), risk- and fear-focused (Altheide and Michalowski, 1999; Beck, 1992), and audience-oriented (Valkenburg et al, 2016). These developments ushered in heightened reflexivity about hazards to “healthy” and “good” living, penetrating both public and private consciousness in a sometimes opaque combination of practical, medical, and moral imperatives (Harrison, 2019).…”

“…Overall, their findings showed that news media at the time focused on the risks related to children’s internet use (64% of articles), such as cyber-bullying, grooming and sexual content, rather than the opportunities of the internet (18%), for example, creative activities, sociality, and learning. Using the same dataset, Ponte et al found that children were represented as “vulnerable, ignorant and innocent receivers” (2009: 166) or wrongdoers, rather than actors, especially when addressing risks related to the internet.…”

Understanding Online Safety Through Metaphors: UK Policymakers and Industry Discourses About the Internet

“…The same rationale that characterizes broader public discourse is also reflected in media coverage of internet safety. Literature specifically analyzing mediated discourse agrees that the mass media focus on the negatives and harms of the internet (Haddon and Stald 2009;Ponte et al 2009), view internet users as "innocent" (Haddon and Stald 2009), "passive" (Ponte et al 2009), potentially "untrustworthy," and in need of "monitoring" in an online environment (Fisk 2016;Hartikainen 2016), and only sometimes as potential "aggressors" (Ponte et al 2009). The kinds of risks the media report tend to involve content and contact risks (Haddon and Stald 2009), as these were defined above.…”

“…The kinds of risks the media report tend to involve content and contact risks (Haddon and Stald 2009), as these were defined above. Experts and institutional voices are heard more often than users in media reports (Hartikainen 2016;Ponte et al 2009).…”