Generation Online: Media competence and media usage by children and adolescents (April 2008)

Computer and Internet usage has become an everyday occurrence for children and adolescents. Using a mouse, keyboard, Internet browser and search engines present little problem for them, unlike for some adults. Schools are increasingly making more use of the vast multimedia offered to convey learning content. Nonetheless, most of the computer and Internet usage by children and adolescents is still, much to the dismay and anxiety of adults and parents, reserved for private and leisure time. Direct, unprotected confrontation with illegal or offensive material is almost unavoidable – the effects on behavior and socialization of growing children remain in dispute.

The compilation of recent social science literature and research references presented here is intended to offer some insight into the discussion of media competence and media usage by children and adolescents. Arranged by topic, the social science and media science studies survey, describe and explain the extent to which and the context in which children and adolescents use the internet.

The new edition of "Research Special" collects project and literature references from the GESIS-Databases SOLIS and SOFIS and from the international CSA-Databases which refer to current publications and project that focus on media competence and media usage of children and adolescents.

Go to the PDF (free of charge).