2016 COST Action/DigiLitEY Annual Meeting Keynote Presentation November 7, 2016, Prague, Czech Republic Sara M. Grimes, PhD Associate Professor, Faculty of Information, University of Toronto

1. CONNECTED CREATIONS AND
WI-FI ENABLED IMAGINATIONS
The emerging challenges and opportunities of digital
play technologies for young children
Sara M. Grimes, PhD
Faculty of Information, University ofToronto
November 7, 2016
DigiLitEY Project Meeting 4, Prague

2. GAPS INTHE RESEARCH
Younger children (under 9 years of age) have traditionally
been an understudied user group within academic and non-
academic research on digital, connected technologies.

3. TECHNOLOGIZATION OF
CHILDHOOD
• McClure et al. (2015) found that most infants
(85%) aged 6-to-24months had used video chat.
37% used it at least once a week.
• A study conducted at Northwestern University in
2012 of US children aged 0-to-8 years found: 43%
used computers, 32% used videogame consoles,
26% used tablets (iPads, etc.)
• When asked “How often does your child watch
more than one screen at the same time,” UK
parents of 0-to-5 year olds replied: 7% “All the
Time”; 18% “Often”; 26% “Occasionally” (BBC,
University of Sheffield, et al., 2016).
• In Canada, most kindergarten teachers are
supplied with networked desktop computers
(71%) and tablets (71%) to use with 5-year-old
students (MediaSmarts/CFT, 2016).

4. MAJOR REVISIONTO AAP
GUIDELINES
“Today's generation of children
and adolescents is growing up
immersed in media.This includes
platforms that allow users to
both consume and create
content, including broadcast and
streamed television and movies,
sedentary and active video games,
social and interactive media that
can be creative and engaging, and
even highly immersive virtual
reality.” (AAP, 2016)

5. The “Massification" of Kids’ DIY Media
• Children’s Do-It-Yourself Media
(“Kids DIY Media”) Partnership.
Cross-sector, Canada/US.
• Examine, map and understand the
rise of DIY media opportunities for
children in online/connected
contexts.
• Collaborate on recommendations
for designers, policymakers, parents,
teachers and children for supporting
ethical, grounded, child-centred
approaches to opps/challenges of
kids DIY media.

8. KITTENS INSPIRED BY KITTENS BY BLAKEKELLY0

9. CULTURE/INFRASTRUCTURE
Designed, regulated (at times unregulated), monitored and
monetized by adults, predominantly for adults.
©2013 World internet map.The Opte Project/Wired

10. SOCIAL WORLD OF
CHILDREN
• The “social world of children” is
always dependent on and
embedded within the world(s) of
adults. But, importantly, it is also
separate. (James, 2001)
• “The true nature of the culture of
childhood frequently remains
hidden from adults, for the
semantic cues which permit social
recognition have been
manipulated and disguised by
children in terms of their
alternative society” (James, p.74).

11. ©Terry Madly 2013 “Tom in Minecraft”

12. THE CREEPYTREEHOUSE

13. DIY MEDIA FORTHE
“APP GENERATION”
• 2013-present: Increase in DIY and
UGC websites, toys and
technologies targeted to younger
children (3-5yrs), but esp. apps.
• Trend toward sharing, posting,
collaborative features (esp. semi-
private). Some of these features
are “on” by default.
• Lack of regulation/enforcement
around children’s data (privacy), in-
app purchases, content ownership.

14. DEFAULT DATA FLOWS
or: How did these drawings get onto my laptop?

15. AFTER-THE-FACT “REGULATION”
Number of US cases where app producer found liable for sneaky in-
app purchases made by kids, in “free” games, without parental consent.
From SmurfVillage to Kindle games.

17. MATERIALITY OF DIGITAL
ARTIFACTS
Just as it’s important to
understand the experiential,
embodied dimension of kids’
digital lifeworlds, it’s equally
crucial to remember that
the tools, artifacts, spaces,
systems they are using are
made, managed and
monitored by adults.

18. INFRASTRUCTURES OF
VIRTUAL PLAY SPACES
Just as it’s crucial that we
recognize children’s agency, pay
attention to their unanticipated
uses of technologies, and
appreciate their subversive
cultural appropriation, we must
consider who is determining
the rules of play…based on
what interests, and why. (e.g.
Terms of Service, the great
privacy/safety “switcheroo”).

19. MOVING FORWARD

20. EXTENDING “FAMILY” DYNAMICS
The spread of connected technologies in children’s lives, and in the
domestic sphere generally, has wide-ranging and complex implications.
They involve a range of known and “invisible” actors, not traditionally seen
as members of the household—including market researchers, government
agencies, data brokers, designers, brand managers, etc. How does their
insertion challenge traditional notions of home, family, private life?

21. DESIGN IS POLITICAL
Some design affordances can be
bypassed, subverted or ignored,
while others can’t (at least, not
easily). But this doesn’t make
design neutral—it is social
constructed, and it reflects and
reproduces the assumptions,
biases, intentions of its designers
(technical code). Design always
warrants critical analysis. Limited
and restrictive design affordances
should be questioned.

22. CHILDREN’S “PLAYBOUR”
Creating and sharing content can be seen as a form of cultural
production. How are children’s rights and interests being represented
within the emerging labour systems of web 2.0 (DIY/UGC)?
@ Jeff Weiss forTubefilter, 9/08/2016

23. CHILDREN’S RIGHTS BEYOND PRIVACY
Current regulatory frameworks focus on children’s privacy, but there
are other issues involved: authorship, reputation/identity, consent, etc..
In some cases, this focus can be detrimental for other potential rights,
including authorship/ownership over intellectual property.

24. UNEVEN PLAYING FIELDS
Corporations claim disproportionate rights over contents,
privilege and police commercial materials, subtly afford and
reward desired consumer behaviours

25. THANKYOU
sara.grimes@utoronto.ca
@smgrimes
http://kidsdiymedia.com