Researchers have a responsibility to consider children’s own opinions and perspectives about matters that concern them. Children and young people are social actors that are also experts on their own lives and experiences. One way of including children’s perspectives in research is to engage children as co-researchers, whether in distinct phases of a particular research process (i.e. in planning what kind of research questions should be addressed, or which methods to use), or throughout an entire research project. While the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child has increased awareness of the importance of facilitating the participation of children and young people in research, researchers also need to consider the ethical dilemmas that arise when engaging children and young people as co-researchers.

Kowie and Khoo (2017) propose an ethical framework for co-research with children that is based on three aspects, namely access, authenticity and advocacy. Regarding access, important considerations for researchers relate to whether and how children and young people can be supported to participate in research. What skills and competences will they need? How can researchers facilitate children and young people in obtaining these skills and competences where relevant? What kind of time and resources will need to be invested in the research process in order to achieve this? Researchers also need to reflect on their own powerful role in the research context, in particular relating to the extent to which they provide all children and young people with access to opportunities for participation.

Regarding authenticity, researchers should consider the extent to which they really listen and take account of children’s own perspectives in research, and what strategies they can put in place to support the achievement of authenticity. 

Finally, regarding advocacy, researchers should consider how children and young people will benefit from research, and in particular how children will consider their engagement as co-researchers to be meaningful. Researchers should also be aware that engaging children and young people as co-researchers can enhance the validity of research by enhancing joint understandings of research questions and dilemmas. It can also enhance understandings of children’s perspectives on the topics of research thereby in turn also helping to prioritise children’s agendas in policy and practice.