Hearing children’s ‘voices’ is a phrase often used in research with children but it’s rare for children to be genuinely involved in developing educational tools such as children’s safety ‘apps’, as they are doing in CyGen. On 6th February 2018, in CyGen’s conference we witnessed first-hand children’s collaborative work with international research partners from England, Belgium, Denmark and Greece. We also heard about children’s and parents’ worries about children going online and the many ways that adults are unintentionally undermining children’s privacy through, for example, uploading photos of children to social media. What came across strongly during the day was the importance of inter-generational discussions and adults reflecting on their role in keeping children safe through listening to children’s worries, making space for disclosures, and thinking about children’s privacy now and in the longer term.
Dr Hayley Davies, Lecturer in Childhood Studies, University of Leeds