Slowly, but surely, the colder months are approaching and school and university semesters are back on track in full force. In the past weeks at CO:RE, we published plenty of blog posts, a new edition to the theories vlog series, and much more for you to explore in the coming cozy weeks!

🗣️ Research community invited: Consultation on the Revision of the European Strategy for a Better Internet for Children (the BIK Strategy) CO:RE Co-Creation Sessions in September

The European Commission has announced plans to revise and update the European Strategy for a Better Internet for Children or ‘BIK Strategy’. The BIK Strategy, launched in 2012, protects and empowers children online through EU funding, coordination, and self-regulation. This consultation initiative will update the strategy, taking into account changes in children’s use of digital technology, new technology trends, the acceleration of the digital transformation caused by COVID-19, and the ambitions of the ‘Digital Decade’ to create a human-centred, sustainable and more prosperous digital future.

CO:RE member Brian O’Neill is leading a targeted consultation with the research community to invite input for this important policy initiative. 

This is a great opportunity to contribute your expert opinion to ensure the new Strategy is evidence-based and informed by the latest research findings. Please contribute any input you think is relevant. The survey will remain open until the end of October. Researchers are also invited via the survey to join a workshop on October 26th where the Strategy and the consultation findings will be discussed further.

Take part in the consultation survey here!

Input requested to the following topics: · opportunities and benefits for children in the digital environment; · the digital literacy and skills children need to avail of these benefits; · emerging challenges and risks and measures required; · policy to make the digital environment a better place for European children and young people

💭 New CO:RE Key Topics blog: “Learning from futures you didn’t see coming? Scenario planning, education and the (post)pandemic world”

Our second guest-authored blog post, written by Matt Finch (University of Oxford) and Niamh Ní Bhroin and Steffen Krüger (University of Oslo), discusses how researchers can cope with and work under conditions of uncertainty and offer future-oriented knowledge to policymakers and other stakeholders through the method of scenario planning. Read it here!

The blog series on key topics is coordinated by Veronika Kalmus (CO:RE at University of Tartu).

💭 New CO:RE Theories blog: “Children online: from findings to frameworks”

In their latest blog post, Sonia Livingstone and Mariya Stoilova (CO:RE at LSE) explore ways to best adopt and collate tools, concepts and other helpful resources to be bundled into a theoretical toolkit for researchers and students. Read more about it here and submit your input!

🎬 CO:RE Theories Vlog Series | Understanding Children’s Online Lives

This time, John Hartley, Curtin Distinguished Emeritus Professor at Curtin University (Australia) and Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), reflects on his disciplinary origins and epistemic roots and talks about his work, the ideas, theories and concepts that inspire him and his view of the role of theory in research. Watch/listen here and find the full playlist of all episodes on our YouTube channel.

The CO:RE theories vlog series is coordinated by Sonia Livingstone and Mariya Stoilova (CO:RE at LSE).

💭 New CO:RE Key Topics blog: “TikTok, tweens and influencers: exploring children’s digital playgrounds”

Our guest authors, Fardus Sultan and Valerie Gannon (TU Dublin), discuss one of the most controversial social media platforms TikTok, and how strongly kids’ and adults’ perspectives differ. Read the full post here and leave a comment!

Stay healthy and stay tuned.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 EU.3.6.1.1 – The mechanisms to promote smart, sustainable and inclusive growth DT-TRANSFORMATIONS-07-2019 – The impact of technological transformations on children and youth under the Grant Agreement ID 871018. The contents of this newsletter reflect only the authors’ view and the Commission of the European Union is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.