Children and Web 2.0: What They Do, What We Fear, and What Is Done to Make Them Safe

摘要

Children nowadays start using Internet earlier and earlier. This has gained attention of scholars in various disciplines such as psychology, sociology, and media. Concerns about children's online safety have increased but Information Systems (IS) research on this area is still scarce despite of the fact that information security is an established research field within IS research. In this paper we review the existing research on children's online activities and related threats and risks, as well as initiatives to achieve online safety. We identify gaps in current research, such as lack of qualitative studies and research related to young children, and lack of research addressing the effectiveness of educational initiatives. We also argue that IS research should contribute to this research field for example by studying children's information security and privacy related behavior, as good information security skills lay the groundwork for privacy, the cornerstone for online safety.