Working on a new national strategy, the Norwegian Safer Internet Centre has collaborated with social media influencers to test new methods and channels for gathering input from children and young people.
During Safer Internet Day (SID) celebrations back in February 2021, the Norwegian government announced a strengthened and coordinated public effort to ensure that children and young people have an active and safe digital childhood. The Norwegian Media Authority, of which the Norwegian Safer Internet Centre is a part, was commissioned to prepare a national strategy in this area. The strategy will focus on the children's best interests and point out both the positive aspects and opportunities and the risks and challenges of children's use of the internet.
Children’s rights-based approach
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), and in particular General Comment No. 25 (2021) on children’s rights in relation to the digital environment, forms the basis of the strategy, and youth participation and involvement will be significant in preparing an action plan and concrete tasks. Useful resources for this future work will be the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) best-practice guideline on Children's rights in the digital environment: Moving from theory to practice (in English), as well as a new report from the expert group of the Norwegian Ombudsperson for Children on child rights assessments and how this can take place in practice (in Norwegian).
Input from children and young people
To contribute to the strategy, input from children and young people has been mapped and collected through available surveys and reports. In addition, three focus groups were conducted: a group of 11-year-old girls, one with 14-year-old boys, and a meeting with the expert panel of the Norwegian helpline Cross My Heart. Furthermore, a digital communication initiative aimed at young people has been implemented using influencers on social media. Here, followers have had the opportunity to comment on published videos and respond to a survey on online safety.
Use of influencers - purpose and method
The purpose of using influencers as part of the insight work was to create awareness of the strategy, test new methods of communication, and get more input and feedback from Norwegian children and young people than the Safer Internet Centre would typically achieve in its work. After a ‘mini-consultation’ in a reference group with young people, three Norwegian influencers on TikTok (Sabina, Kevin and Kiran) and a well-known Norwegian influencer on YouTube and TikTok (Kattekryp) were engaged to post videos in their channels on their platforms.
A total of seven films were made. These were based on various topics that were relevant to the strategy: hate speech, nudes, exposure to violence or porn, “dare you say no” and “do you think twice?”.
To gather input, three different approaches were tested:
- The follower could comment on the videos.
- Emojis with predefined meanings could be used instead of text in the comments field.
- The influencers encouraged the children to move away from the TikTok or YouTube platform and complete a separate questionnaire.
Even though all of these methods were successful, it was surprising that so many young people moved from social media platforms to fill in the questionnaire. A total of 612 young people responded to the survey, of which about two-thirds were girls. Additionally, just over 60 per cent stated that they were under 13 years of age. Although the survey was not representative, it provided the Norwegian Safer Internet Centre with meaningful insight into young people's digital lives.
Influencers as ambassadors
Not surprisingly, credibility and personal encouragement proved to be important success factors in using influencers as “tools for communication”, and the videos that worked best and received the most responses were the ones where the influencer had the greatest freedom and ownership regarding the script and content. Regarding feedback on the survey, another success factor seemed to be a reward (a “like”) from the influencer to the follower after stating that "the job was done".
For the Norwegian Safer Internet Centre, using influencers is a new way of communicating with and to young people. This methodological approach also raised some ethical issues, explains Berit Andersen, senior advisor at the centre. For instance, the Safer Internet Centre questioned whether it was right to communicate with children on platforms that they, strictly speaking, are not old enough to use according to the terms of service (most platforms require users to be at least 13 years of age). However, as evidence suggests, a large majority of Norwegian children from the age of 9 are both TikTok and YouTube users, so the centre decided to try this approach. Furthermore, young people themselves often request more adult presence and communication on social media, especially from authorities like the police. Children also look towards young adults they look up to (such as role models and influencers) to teach them about netiquette and how to behave online through their personal and real-life stories.
What children say
From the comments received, the results of the survey, and the findings of the focus groups, it can be seen that, first and foremost, children and young people see their internet use as positive. They use the internet and social media because they are social and fun, and they want to explore and seek information. Most children also express feeling safe online, even though a few have had negative or unpleasant experiences such as hate speech, exclusion or exposure to harmful content. Many children and young people point out media literacy and resilience as important factors to avoid or deal with negative experiences online, and the school is highlighted as the place they want to learn. Furthermore, the presence of adults online is highlighted as important for having a good and safe digital life, and many children want stricter rules and enforcement of regulations to crack down on negative online aspects such as bullying, threats and incitement.
Find out more about the work of the Norwegian Safer Internet Centre, including its awareness raising, helpline, hotline and youth participation services – or find similar information for Safer Internet Centres throughout Europe.
Working on a new national strategy, the Norwegian Safer Internet Centre has collaborated with social media influencers to test new methods and channels for gathering input from children and young people.
During Safer Internet Day (SID) celebrations back in February 2021, the Norwegian government announced a strengthened and coordinated public effort to ensure that children and young people have an active and safe digital childhood. The Norwegian Media Authority, of which the Norwegian Safer Internet Centre is a part, was commissioned to prepare a national strategy in this area. The strategy will focus on the children's best interests and point out both the positive aspects and opportunities and the risks and challenges of children's use of the internet.
Children’s rights-based approach
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), and in particular General Comment No. 25 (2021) on children’s rights in relation to the digital environment, forms the basis of the strategy, and youth participation and involvement will be significant in preparing an action plan and concrete tasks. Useful resources for this future work will be the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) best-practice guideline on Children's rights in the digital environment: Moving from theory to practice (in English), as well as a new report from the expert group of the Norwegian Ombudsperson for Children on child rights assessments and how this can take place in practice (in Norwegian).
Input from children and young people
To contribute to the strategy, input from children and young people has been mapped and collected through available surveys and reports. In addition, three focus groups were conducted: a group of 11-year-old girls, one with 14-year-old boys, and a meeting with the expert panel of the Norwegian helpline Cross My Heart. Furthermore, a digital communication initiative aimed at young people has been implemented using influencers on social media. Here, followers have had the opportunity to comment on published videos and respond to a survey on online safety.
Use of influencers - purpose and method
The purpose of using influencers as part of the insight work was to create awareness of the strategy, test new methods of communication, and get more input and feedback from Norwegian children and young people than the Safer Internet Centre would typically achieve in its work. After a ‘mini-consultation’ in a reference group with young people, three Norwegian influencers on TikTok (Sabina, Kevin and Kiran) and a well-known Norwegian influencer on YouTube and TikTok (Kattekryp) were engaged to post videos in their channels on their platforms.
A total of seven films were made. These were based on various topics that were relevant to the strategy: hate speech, nudes, exposure to violence or porn, “dare you say no” and “do you think twice?”.
To gather input, three different approaches were tested:
- The follower could comment on the videos.
- Emojis with predefined meanings could be used instead of text in the comments field.
- The influencers encouraged the children to move away from the TikTok or YouTube platform and complete a separate questionnaire.
Even though all of these methods were successful, it was surprising that so many young people moved from social media platforms to fill in the questionnaire. A total of 612 young people responded to the survey, of which about two-thirds were girls. Additionally, just over 60 per cent stated that they were under 13 years of age. Although the survey was not representative, it provided the Norwegian Safer Internet Centre with meaningful insight into young people's digital lives.
Influencers as ambassadors
Not surprisingly, credibility and personal encouragement proved to be important success factors in using influencers as “tools for communication”, and the videos that worked best and received the most responses were the ones where the influencer had the greatest freedom and ownership regarding the script and content. Regarding feedback on the survey, another success factor seemed to be a reward (a “like”) from the influencer to the follower after stating that "the job was done".
For the Norwegian Safer Internet Centre, using influencers is a new way of communicating with and to young people. This methodological approach also raised some ethical issues, explains Berit Andersen, senior advisor at the centre. For instance, the Safer Internet Centre questioned whether it was right to communicate with children on platforms that they, strictly speaking, are not old enough to use according to the terms of service (most platforms require users to be at least 13 years of age). However, as evidence suggests, a large majority of Norwegian children from the age of 9 are both TikTok and YouTube users, so the centre decided to try this approach. Furthermore, young people themselves often request more adult presence and communication on social media, especially from authorities like the police. Children also look towards young adults they look up to (such as role models and influencers) to teach them about netiquette and how to behave online through their personal and real-life stories.
What children say
From the comments received, the results of the survey, and the findings of the focus groups, it can be seen that, first and foremost, children and young people see their internet use as positive. They use the internet and social media because they are social and fun, and they want to explore and seek information. Most children also express feeling safe online, even though a few have had negative or unpleasant experiences such as hate speech, exclusion or exposure to harmful content. Many children and young people point out media literacy and resilience as important factors to avoid or deal with negative experiences online, and the school is highlighted as the place they want to learn. Furthermore, the presence of adults online is highlighted as important for having a good and safe digital life, and many children want stricter rules and enforcement of regulations to crack down on negative online aspects such as bullying, threats and incitement.
Find out more about the work of the Norwegian Safer Internet Centre, including its awareness raising, helpline, hotline and youth participation services – or find similar information for Safer Internet Centres throughout Europe.
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