Increasingly, life is lived online. Here we work, play, interact, socialise and create our identities. Yet little is known about children's actual online world. Owing to ethical and practical research challenges, most research of online environments has relied on self-report or experimental conditions.
Kids Online Aotearoa proposes to address this knowledge gap by applying a successfully piloted methodology using screen-recording software to capture and objectively assess four days' online activity of 180 Māori, Pacific and NZ European Year 8 children. The recordings will be analysed to determine the nature and extent of children's online worlds and their engagement with it, and the impact on their wellbeing.
The online revolution requires innovative research to analyse the online world so that action can be taken to keep our children safe from harm and maximise their wellbeing.