Researchers should take care to explain the aims and objectives of their research project to potential participants during recruitment. The kind of information to be provided should be age appropriate and in a language and format that children understand. 

It is also very important that children and young people understand what is expected of them in the research process. Researchers should take the time to explain what methods they will use and how they wish to interact with children and young people during the course of the research. Children and young people have a right to ask for clarification if they do not understand what researchers are telling them, and researchers should be prepared to provide these clarifications using examples and illustrations where relevant.

Researchers should also consider what kind of participation they can expect from children and young people of different ages, competences and abilities. Not all children and young people may be able to participate in research to the same degree, or in the same way. While respecting this, researchers should develop strategies to ensure that children and young people can participate to the best of their abilities and respecting their interests. This might include developing different approaches to eliciting research data, including co-creation workshops, creative methods, photo elicitation and more.

Researchers should also take care to build rapport and relationships with children and young people which will support their participation and help them to feel that they can ask questions if they are unsure about what is expected of them. Particular care should be taken to support vulnerable children and young people to participate in research. Children and young people should also be reminded of their rights in the research context, including their right to withdraw from research if they wish to do so, without any negative consequences. Researchers should be able to explain to children and young people how they can do this.

Researchers should consider that assessing the relative privacy or publicity of online data is difficult. Children and young people may have a limited understanding of the potential consequences of disclosing information online, or in the context of research. On the other hand, research has revealed that children and young people can also develop sophisticated strategies for managing their data online and choosing when and how they share information in various contexts. In each case, researchers should engage with children and young people and elicit their opinions on how they perceive the relative publicity or privacy of various online contexts. They should also be prepared to discuss the risks of disclosing information online with children and young people and to independently evaluate the extent to which information which children provide online can and should be used in research.

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