Determination of the complementary topics for the survey     

Introduction

Project Origin

Mediappro "Research in new media appropriation by youth" is carrying out within the Safer Internet Plan.

In December 2004, The European Parliament and the Council agreed on the Safer Internet 2005 program. It focuses on promoting a safer use of the Internet and new online technologies.

Commission of the European Communities, “Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on establishing a multiannual Community programme on promoting safer use of the Internet and new online technologies”, Brussels, 2004.

http://europa.eu.int/information_society/activities/sip/docs/pdf/si_plus/acte_en.pdf

a) Initiative

The safer Internet programme 1999-2004 is a major element in the Commission's activity in that field. The programme has set up a European network of hotlines, encouraging self-regulation and codes of conduct, supporting development of filtering and rating systems and simulating awareness actions.

This programme has produced significant results during and after the first 4 years. But, the complexity of the issues and the multiplicity of the actors involved means that there is still a need for further action. There are now new challenges both in quantitative and qualitative terms.

b) A new programme

The new programme is inspired by the principles of continuity and enhancement :

• Continuity: to continue doing what Europe does best taking into account the lessons learned. To continue building on the achievements of the initiatives already funded so as to ensure that their effects continue.
• Enhancement: to reach the new threats, ensuring Europe an added value. To stimulate a multiplier effect and broaden international outreach.

The overall objective would continue to be: the promotion of a safer use of Internet and new online technologies particularly for children, the fight against illegal and unwanted contents. In that way, the programme would focus on the end - user - particularly parents, educators and children.

There will be four actions :

• Fighting against illegal contents ;
• Tacking unwanted an harmful contents ;
• Promoting a safer environment ;
• Raising awareness

In each case, international co-operation would be an integral part of the action.

c) Projects

Contracts have been concluded with 44 projects :

• 21 for the European network of hotlines (co-ordination nodes and 20 hotlines)
• 21 dealing with raising awareness of safer Internet use
• 1 for applied research on media education (Mediappro)
• 1 quality labelling scheme

MEDIAPPRO Project

Mediappro tends to contribute to a safer use of the Internet and the new portable audio-scripto-visual technologies. Its final aim is to identify relevant pedagogical orientations to help persons from the educational field (teachers, educators, parents) to develop educational practices to make young people responsible, autonomous and aware about the Internet.

The basic postulate of the project is that the safety of young Internet and new portable audio-scripto-visual media users concerning harmful and illegal contents depends mainly on their practices of these media.

For this reason, Mediappro wishes to identify the question of safety in the general context of the Internet and following technologies appropriation by young people, through their representations, their attitudes and their uses.

Mediappro is built on the results of major surveys and actions like the international survey "Young people and the Internet" and the Educaunet projects (from the Internet Action Plan).

Mediappro is an international project about the way young people (12-18) appropriate the new media in network, including new portable audio-scripto-visual media (mobile phone, Internet, video games, multimedia supports). This project will be an applied research with three main phases:

1) Collection and analyse of existing surveys

The project has begun with the collection and the analysis of existing data and surveys among European countries and different age groups. It was helping to identify national perceptions, beliefs, values and behaviour, about children's use of the Internet and new technologies. The results were presented in the deliverable D2.1 "Collect, analyse and synthesize existing data about youth's practices of new medias and new media education practices."

The aim of the present report is to define the subsequent research issues. Those issues will conduct to take some the decisions for the Mediappro international survey, in terms of content and methodology.

2) International survey

To cover emerging gaps and weaknesses and to extend the analysis to new technologies, the second phase consists in organising a survey in 9 European countries: Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom, Poland and Estonia. The aim of this survey is to identify qualitative mechanisms of youth's appropriation of the new media in network, trough the study of their representations, their attitudes and their practices of these media.

3) Elaboration and diffusion of educational recommendations

On the basis of the survey, the scientific committee will develop concrete orientations towards active educational steps. Those orientations will take the form of a publication with educational recommendations and a meeting with educational key stakeholders.

The international dimension of the Mediappro project not only covers European countries. A similar survey will also be carried out during the same period in Canada, Province of Quebec. This survey will rely on the University team that produced a previous research about Internet and young people. This complementary approach will allow a better understanding of the European situation as compared to the North American one.

The final aim of the Mediappro project is to bring a major contribution in the empowerment of leaders and persons engaged into the field of education to new media. It aims at orienting to safer uses through a better comprehension of the present situation and a better understanding of the mechanism of appropriation of those media by young people across Europe.

Concretely, Mediappro will produce three main results :

1. A scientific state of the knowledge about the uses, the representations and the attitudes of young people facing the Internet and the subsequent portable technologies.
2. A complementary observation of about 9000 young people from 12 to 18, distributed in various European countries.
3. A set of educational recommendations, concerning young people from 12 to 18, for safer Internet and new portable audio-scripto-visual media connected on telecommunications networks practices. These recommendations and the results of the survey will be diffused, presented and discussed during a meeting at the end of the project. The public of this meeting will be the key persons of the educational field having an impact on schools, families and associative educational structures.