Foreword 9
Introduction: Growing up with social
media across everyday contexts 11
Debates on children, youth and media 15
The importance of asking open and broad questions 17
No simple answers 18
Children and young people’s own perspectives 19
Different research traditions 20
Focus and structure of the book 21
References 24
1. Media use in context 27
Mediatization as a basic condition 28
Understanding media use as practices and affordances 30
Media practices in everyday life 32
Media development in recent years 33
Commercialisation, business models and algorithms 39
References 40
2. Children and the internet – ten
research insights 45
Guest chapter by Professor Elisabeth Staksrud,
University of Oslo
Insight 1: Parents are very worried.
Especially about screen time 46
Insight 2: The public discourse around children’s use of new media habitually revolves
around the fear of a moral deprivation of youth 48
Insight 3: What is considered harmful for children varies by the cultural
context 49
Insight 4: Well-being is multifaceted 50
Insight 5: Most children are fine 52
Insight 6: There are serious digital risks that need to be addressed (and most
of them are social) 53
Insight 7: Coping skills can prevent risk from becoming harm 55
Insight 8: Asking adults for help is hard 57
Insight 9: Research can provide some advice 59
Insight 10: It cannot be all up to us 60
References 62
3. Playful media practices 65
Play and media are connected 66
Play with media – play media 68
Play practice and sociability 69
Three types of play 70
Dark play online 79
Being a YouTuber: Children and youth as media (co-)producers 80
Summing up 82
References 83
4. Ecologies of learning lives – complex
interactions using social media in everyday life 87
Guest chapter by Professor Ola Erstad,
University of Oslo
Introduction 87
A Nordic context for media and education 88
Living in new media ecologies 92
Across formal, non-formal and informal ways of learning 94
What does it mean for schools? 97
Towards digital ecosystems 101
Uncertain futures 103
References 104
5. Social media and social relations 109
Children and adolescents’ friendships 110
The classic concept of friendship 111
Changes in the concept of friendship 113 Friends or just a connection? 114
Three types of relations 115
Maintaining social relations with media technologies 120
When strong ties only exist online 122
Likes as social interaction 123
Algorithms as part of the equation 126
To feel left outside 128
Digital bullying 129
Summing up 131
References 132
6. Identity and self-presentation on
social media 137
Identity work with media 138
A diverse concept 139
Self-presentation in a historical perspective 143
Identity in practice and as life narrative 145
Collaborative identity performances 149
Selfies as identity practice 150
Influencers, authenticity and identity 153
Summing up 155
References 156
7. Digital platforms and youth sexuality
161
Guest chapter by postdoctoral researcher Sanna
Spi?ák, University of Helsinki
Young people’s mediated sexualities in the
digital age in Finland 163
Sexual rights in a nutshell 167
Sexual rights guarantee young people’s sexual well-being 168
Harm-based educational responses violate young people’s sexual rights 170
Turning the tide: From a harm-based approach to fulfilling sexual rights 175
Conclusion 177
References 178
8. A media practice perspective on
children and young people’s digital gaming 183
Guest chapter by Associate Professor Anne Mette
Thorhauge and Associate Professor Andreas
Gregersen, University of Copenhagen
Media practices as an analytical framework 184
Digital gameplay as individual pastime and focused interaction 187
Digital gaming as fan practice 189
Digital gaming as esports 191
Economic practices at the edges of game and sports culture 192
The implication of digital gaming for children and young people’s everyday
lives 193
Conclusion 194
References 195
9. Children and youth in a datafied
society 197
Children and young people as digital citizens 197
The right to protection and participation 199
Children and young people’s media culture in a big data society 201
How do children and young people understand data and privacy? 203
The discussion of (digital) literacy 205
Protection of all children? 206
Future research perspectives 207
References 209
About the authors 213
Index 215