This article is an analytic reflection on social and technological change. It shows that:
– Internet diffusion is linked to specific patterns of uses and experiences. On average, children in “advanced” countries go online earlier, use a broader range of online services, are more skilled in safer internet and, nevertheless, are more at risk.
– Society’s appropriation of the internet and mobile technologies is far from synchronous across Europe.
– Longitudinal findings question any assumption of a linear process by which children might become increasingly skilled and resilient in their use of online media.
In 2010 the EU Kids Online network conducted a large-scale survey among children and their parents in 25 countries. The findings provided a valuable evidence base for a better societal orientation about children’s online uses and experiences. However, the world of children and this is a world that internet is changing fast. How have children’s online risks and opportunities changed since 2010? In order to provide updated empirical evidence, the EU Kids Online network is currently preparing a new survey, possibly for 2016.
As one step towards this aim, this report reflects the findings of the EU Kids Online network from a longitudinal perspective: what can we say about changes in children’s online experiences?