Latest research trends – from critical thinking to image sharing
The UKCCIS evidence group publish three new research highlights tracking the latest trends in how UK youth use technology.
The Evidence Group provides the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) with helpful summaries of relevant and new research and includes representatives from NGOs, academia and Police.
The Series aims to keep UKCCIS, and the wider public, up to date with current research.
The latest three research highlights in the series, numbers 106, 107 and 108 cover a range of topics, with two of the pieces of research being conducted by Ofcom and the other by the UK Safer Internet Centre.
Research Highlight 108 – Safer Internet Day 2017: Power of Image – A Report into the Role and Influence of Images and Videos in Young People’s Digital Lives
For Safer Internet Day 2017, 1,500 young people aged 8-17 years took part in an online survey conducted by ResearchBods and commissioned by the UK Safer Internet Centre. This research looked at the role of images and videos in young people’s digital lives.
Positively, the research found that 80% of children aged 8-17 years said they had been inspired by an image to do something positive in the last year.
Research highlight 107 – Ofcom Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes – Focus on Critical Understanding, Attitudes & Parental Controls
Three of the main areas covered in this research were; making judgements about online information, awareness and understanding of advertising, and parental mediation.
The research gives an insight into young people’s critical thinking skills, as well as the information they put online. It found that more than one in four 8-15s who use search engines believed that if Google lists information then it can be trusted.
Research highlight 106 – Ofcom Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes, Focus on Take Up and Use
The research covers four subject areas; changing TV consumption, the rise of portable devices, social media and gaming, and creative activities and civic participation.
The research explores the extent to which people are able to use, understand and create media and communications. It found that 37% of online 3-4 year olds and 67% of online 5-15 year olds said they use their digital devices for creative activities, with making pictures, editing photos, making videos and creating avatars being the most popular.