Kids' Digital Lives During COVID-19 Times Digital practices, safety and well-being of 6- to 12-year-olds – a qualitative study

This study is a Mixed Method Study where we combine elements of qualitative and quantitative research approaches to investigate Kids’ Digital Lives During COVID-19 Times (KiDiCoTi) a research project coordinated by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission. This report presents and discusses the results from the qualitative part of the KiDiCoTI study for Norway: In Norway, guided interviews with 15 families were conducted in June 2020, with children ages 6 to 11 years old. The report includes portraits of each family and conclusions drawn from the research questions, with regard to providing overview information and recommendations for stakeholders. The portraits focus on the general standard of digital technologies, including parents and children’s perspectives on remote schooling, online risks, screen-time regulations and parenting during the lockdown, as well as lessons learned from these experiences.

How did families handle remote schooling during the time of Covid-19 lockdown during spring 2020?

Perceptions on remote schooling activities were gathered from parents and their children at the end of primary education and in secondary education (10-18 years old) from 9 EU countries (Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Spain) in addition to Switzerland and Norway. The findings show that almost all children who participated in the survey were able to conduct some school-related activities using digital technologies, and many reported that their schools had provided them with both digital communication and learning platforms. The findings also point out to large variations in terms of how children were able to interact with their teachers in learning activities and how often children were in contact with their teachers through online means. In addition to learning activities provided by the school, parents also engaged in complementary learning activities with their children, for example by using free of charge online learning material and exercises, such as video recordings and online quizzes. Both children and parents were worried about the pandemic’s negative impact on education, generally parents more so than children. Families voiced the need for better guidelines on how to support children with distance education activities and how to support the child psychologically during the confinement. Parents also expressed their need for more counselling and psychological support. These early results from the survey can guide future activities of schools and education systems in their move to digital education that can deliver more even, and better, pedagogical and social outcomes. They can also guide planning of practices that suite local context and needs. More in-depth analysis of this data will be made available throughout 2020-2021.

How children (10-18) experienced online risks during the Covid-19 lockdown - Spring 2020

Covid-19 pandemic impacted the lives of most children in Europe dramatically. The
lockdown affecting most European countries in spring 2020 saw the sudden shift of most
children's activities into the digital world. Since then, children's schooling, leisure time,
social contacts, home life have mostly been conducted at home via digital media.
Embracing new tools and services and spending several hours per day online changed
dramatically daily schedules. The online world offers opportunities and new possibilities,
substituting face-to-face interactions. However, it opens the door to well-known online
risks (inappropriate content, overuse, cyberbullying, cyberhate, disinformation, misuse of
personal data, cyber-risks, etc.).

This report provides a snapshot of how children across Europe perceived and experienced
different known online risks during the Covid-19 spring lockdown in eleven countries, and
which steps parents and children took to mitigate and cope with these risks. In particular,
changes that occurred in children’s online risk experiences during the Covid-lockdown,
compared to the situation before the crisis, were identified.