UK Children Go Online: A child-centred approach to the experience of using the Internet

Many households, especially those with children, now have domestic Internet access, and 98 per cent of UK nine-to-nineteen-year-olds have used the Internet, mainly at home (75 per cent) and/or at school (92 per cent) (Livingstone and Bober, 2004). As we move beyond the present climate of speculation and hyperbole, sound empirical evidence and a sceptical mindset is much needed. In response, a growing body of academic research is examining the social shaping and social consequences of new information and communication technologies, particularly the Internet, in relation to work, leisure, politics, culture and the family (Lievrouw and Livingstone, 2002).