1. The use and properties of channels to
communicate with children and youngsters:
phone, chat, e-mail, forum
Geert Strobbe
(Secretary Kinder- en JongerenTelefoon)

2. Table of Contents
• Overview of different communication channels
• Year results 2011
• Striking developments in the past years
• Media-characteristics
– Telephone
– Chat
– E-mail
– Forum
23-2-2012 Kinder- en JongerenTelefoon Vlaanderen VZW 2

3. KJT media
• Telephone
– Number: 102
– Hours:
• Daily from 4 pm until 10 pm, except on Sunday and national holidays
• Chat
– Website: www.kjt.org
– From 6 pm until 10 pm, every Monday and Wednesday
• E-mail
– E-mail: brievenbus@kjt.org
• Forum
– Website: www.kjt.org, www.102.be

4. Numbers
• Numbers 2009
Telephone Chat E-mail
Not answered calls 748689 5589 0
Calls without dialogue 15259 68 4
Dialogues 11214 795 5397
Total 775162 6452 5401
• Total • Share of calls over • Share of dialogues over
the different media the different media
100%
90%
Telphon
80% e
70% 98%
60%
50%
40%
30% Chat
20% E-mail 1%
1%
10%
0%
Telphone Chat E-mail
Telephone Chat E-mail
Medium
Not answered calls Calls without dialogue
Dialogues
23-2-2012 Kinder- en JongerenTelefoon Vlaanderen VZW 4

5. Themes
• Most popular themes per communication medium
e-mail
telefoon chat
gespreks-thema's subthema's aantal %
gespreks-thema's subthema's aantal % gespreks-thema's subthema's aantal %
vrienden niet gespecificeerd 500 9,30%
geweld pesten 826 7,40% vrienden niet gespecificeerd 97 12,20%
geweld ruzie 465 8,60%
vrienden niet gespecificeerd 623 5,60% psychische gezondheid zelfmoord(gedachten) 82 10,30%
geweld ruzie 597 5,30% psychische gezondheid zelfverwonding 77 9,70%
verliefdheid aanmaken 392 7,30%
verliefdheid aanmaken 528 4,70% verliefdheid niet gespecificeerd 72 9,10% andere niet gespecificeerd 379 7,00%
verliefdheid niet gespecificeerd 363 6,70%
andere niet gespecificeerd 484 4,30% geweld ruzie 72 9,10%
gezin niet gespecificeerd 384 3,40% verliefdheid aanmaken 69 8,70% psychische gezondheid depressie 361 6,70%
verliefdheid niet gespecificeerd 376 3,40% geweld seksuele aanranding/ misbruik 54 6,80% psychische gezondheid zelfvertrouwen 355 6,60%
seksualiteit info over vrijen 366 3,30% gezin niet gespecificeerd 50 6,30% psychische gezondheid zelfmoord(gedachten) 355 6,60%
gezin huisregels 310 2,80% lichaam uiterlijk 47 5,90% gezin huisregels 290 5,40%
algemene onderwerpen info over KJT 308 2,70% geweld pesten 46 5,80% verliefdheid relatieproblemen 286 5,30%
vrije tijd babbeltje/grapje/gedichtje/liedje 300 2,70% seksualiteit info over vrijen 40 5,00% geweld pesten 256 4,70%
school niet gespecificeerd 298 2,70% psychische gezondheid depressie 39 4,90% lichaam uiterlijk 254 4,70%
verliefdheid relatieproblemen 288 2,60% psychische gezondheid zelfvertrouwen 38 4,80% psychische gezondheid angst 246 4,60%
seksualiteit niet gespecificeerd 286 2,60% verliefdheid relatieproblemen 38 4,80% gezin niet gespecificeerd 235 4,40%
vrije tijd verveling 286 2,60% psychische gezondheid angst 37 4,70% lichaam fysieke gezondheid 210 3,90%
psychische gezondheid angst 280 2,50% psychische gezondheid eetstoornissen 37 4,70% psychische gezondheid zelfverwonding 210 3,90%
gezin echtscheiding 274 2,40% gezin huisregels 35 4,40% seksualiteit zwangerschap 184 3,40%
geweld fysieke mishandeling 255 2,30% seksualiteit zwangerschap 33 4,20% psychische gezondheid eenzaamheid 179 3,30%
school schoolprestaties 250 2,20% psychische gezondheid verlies/rouw 33 4,20% geweld seksuele aanranding/ misbruik 160 3,00%
lichaam fysieke gezondheid 240 2,10% seksualiteit seksuele relatie 28 3,50% gezin echtscheiding 156 2,90%
23-2-2012 Kinder- en JongerenTelefoon Vlaanderen VZW 5

6. Most important developments(1)
• Phone :
– Toll free number
– Use of mobile phones
EvolutionTelefoonOproepen
Evolutie Telephone calls
900000
800000
Number of calls
Aantal oproepen
700000
600000
500000
400000
300000
200000
100000
0
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Year
Jaar
078/151413 0800/15111 102

7. Most important developments (2)
• E-mail
– Steady growth
Evolution e-mails
Evolutie e-mails
6000
Number of e-mails
5000
Aantal e-mails
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Year
Jaar

8. Most important developments (3)
• Chat
– Increase by 200% through the expansion of the chat service
from 1 up to 2 evenings
Evolution Chat gesprekken
Evolutie chat conversations
1000
Number of chats
Aantal chatgesprekken
800
600
400
200
0
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Year
Jaar

9. Chat calls in 2009
Answered calls every month
• 6452 “calls” (clicks on the chat button during the opening hours)
– Almost a duplication in comparison to 2008 (3400)
• 863 answered calls
– 126 % more than in 2008
• 795 dialogues (92% of the answered calls)
23-2-2012 Kinder- en JongerenTelefoon Vlaanderen VZW 9

10. Media-characteristics
• Telephone / mobile(1)
– Accessibility
• Hours
• Number of counsellors
• Mobile
– Costs for the caller
• For free
– Fast medium / immediate feedback expected
• Duration of an average conversation: 6 minutes
– Close connection with the caller is possible
– Anonymity of the caller
• Phone number is not shown
• Not appropriate for “follow up conversations”
23-2-2012 Kinder- en JongerenTelefoon Vlaanderen VZW 10

11. Media-characteristics
• Telepone / mobile (2)
– “Side effects”
• Malicious calls
• Continuous calls( +/- 6%)
• Prank calls (+/- 30%)
– Possibility to recall
• When we should give up anonimity
• “confidentiality”
– Authentication (of the caller)
• Through phone number?
– Confidentiality
• Listening in
• But also: is the caller alone in the room? (certainly when “recalling”)
23-2-2012 Kinder- en JongerenTelefoon Vlaanderen VZW 11

12. Media-characteristics
• Chat (1)
– Accessibility
• Opening hours
• Number of counsellors
– Accessibility
• ~ internet
• Technical obstacles (download, language,...)
• Low psychological barrier
– Costs for the caller
• Accessibility of the internet (fixed cost every month)
– Relatively slow medium – conversations run slow
• Duration average conversation: 30 min
• Immediate feedback expected
• ! Legal questions
– Close connection possible with chatter (“distance” leads to proximity)
– Anonymity (of the chatter)
• Limited benefit of IP addresses
23-2-2012 Kinder- en JongerenTelefoon Vlaanderen VZW 12

13. Media-characteristics
• Chat (2)
– “Side effects”
• Continuous chatters
• Almost no “prank chats”
– Not easy to contact the chatter
• Give up anonymity
• Accessibility of the chatter at his computer
– Authentication (of the chatter)
• “chatter can be identified” (registration procedure (log in)/ ~skype)
– Confidentiality
• “Listening in” can be inhibited by enciphering the messages (SSL)
• But also: is the chatter alone in the room ?
23-2-2012 Kinder- en JongerenTelefoon Vlaanderen VZW 13

14. Media-characteristics
• E-mail (1)
– Accessibility
• Number of counsellors
• All incoming e-mails are being answered.
– Accessibility
• ~ internet
• Webmail (hotmail, ...)
– Costs for the client
• Accessibility of the internet (fixed cost every month)
– Slow medium
• Callers expect feedback in “a couple of days”
• Youngsters have a lot of time to formulate and reflect on their questions
• There‟s more time to think about the answers: “Verba volant, scripta manent”
• Difficult to ask for clarification
– More distance to the client
– Anonymity of the client
• E-mail address is unknown.
• Appropriate for “follow-up conversations”
23-2-2012 Kinder- en JongerenTelefoon Vlaanderen VZW 14

15. Media-characteristics
• E-mail (2)
– “Side effects”
• Continuous clients !
– There‟s always the possibility to mail back to the client.
• Also see “confidentiality“
– Authentication (of the client)
• through e-mail address ?
– Confidentiality
• “Listening in” is impossible through encrypting (certificates, ...)
• Youngster can write/read an e-mail when he feels like it.
23-2-2012 Kinder- en JongerenTelefoon Vlaanderen VZW 15

16. Media-characteristics
• Forum (1)
– Accessibility
• Number of counsellors
• All incoming messages are being processed
– Accessibility
• ~ internet
– Costs for the client
• Accessibility of the internet (fixed cost monthly)
– Quick / difficult medium
• A quick feedback is expected
• Hard to ask for clarification
• (Too) much questions
• Clients expect a personalised answer
– Distance to the client
– Anonymity of the client
23-2-2012 Kinder- en JongerenTelefoon Vlaanderen VZW 16

17. Media-characteristics
• Forum (2)
– “Side effets”
• To guarantee someone else‟s opinion and to ask for „censorship‟ policy
• Often the same questions -> FAQ
• What if two (anonymous) clients want to get in touch with one another?
– To get directly in contact with the client:
• In public or …
• In private: “closed forum” (with registration)
– Authentication (of the client)
• Through registration: username + password
– Confidentiality
• “Closed forum” / protected website (https:)
• Youngster can write/read the forum when he feels like it (ajust …)
23-2-2012 Kinder- en JongerenTelefoon Vlaanderen VZW 17