Media representations and children’s discourses on online risks: Findings from qualitative research in nine European countries

Abstract

Prior research has pointed to cross-national variations in media attention for online risks, which are then mirrored in parental concerns regarding the internet. However, little is known so far about how the discursive environment around opportunities and risks of the internet for children shapes the very context in which children’s own perceptions are developed and their online experiences are situated. The aim of this contribution is threefold: (1) to understand how and to what extent children’s perceptions of online risks incorporate media representations, parental worries and discourses circulating among peers; (2) to identify any age- or gender-specific patterns in the appropriation and conversion of media, parents’ and peers’ discourses; and (3) to identify whether there are cross-cultural variations in risk perceptions.

Cyber victimization and adjustment difficulties: The mediation of Chinese and American adolescents’ digital technology usage

“…One of the most current studies on parental mediation also indicated that adolescents who reported higher parental mediation were less likely to engage in or experience cyberbullying (Chang et al, 2014). Mascheroni, Jorge, and Farrugia (2014) suggest that "parents seem to use the media as a gateway to discuss the dangers of cyberbullying with their children" (para. 39).…”

Bullying in The Age of The Wall: Trump and the digital radicalisation towards Latino students in the US

“…Regarding the spread of extremist discourse in social media towards ethnic minorities students, it is important to display educative dynamics tending to improve dialogue and to explain to students that the respect to diversity is a basis to enable peaceful relations inside classrooms, communities and, of course, in cyberspace. It is important to provide young students with reliable information to dwell with extremist narratives on the Internet (Mascheroni, Jorge & Farrugia, 2014), to help them understand that those discourses are based on a reductionist and partial notion about social relations, and to recognize that harmonious daily life in US neighborhoods is based on the constructions of sustainable relations among people that do not necessarily resemble their ethnicity or share their religious belief.…”

Information And Psychological Safety Of Russian Students In The Internet Environment

“…However, in addition to developing opportunities (Kurek, Jose, & Stuart, 2017;Sokolova, 2017;Valkenburg, Koutamanis, & Vossen, 2017), the risks of a negative impact on the psychological health of the Internet user through manipulative influence increase many times. There are increasing risks to face information that threatens the immature psyche and psychological health in general (Boniel-Nissim et al, 2014;Goldstein, 2015;Mascheroni, Jorge, & Farrugia, 2014;Seiler, & Navarro, 2014).…”