David Buckingham is a scholar, writer and consultant specializing in young people, media and education. He is an Emeritus Professor at Loughborough University, and a Visiting Professor at King’s College London. He was for many years a Professor of Education at the Institute of Education, London University (now part of UCL), where he was the founder and director of the Centre for the Study of Children, Youth and Media.

David is a leading internationally recognized expert on children’s and young people’s interactions with electronic media, and on media literacy education. He has directed more than 25 externally-funded research projects on these issues, and been a consultant for bodies such as UNESCO, the United Nations, Unicef, the European Commission, Ofcom (the UK media regulator), and the UK government. David continues to undertake research, consultancy and evaluation, most recently for organizations such as the Media Education Association, Space Studios, and Family, Kids and Youth.

David is the author, co-author or editor of 32 books, and more than 220 articles and book chapters. His work has been translated into 15 languages. His key publications include Children Talking Television (1993), After the Death of Childhood (2000), Media Education: Literacy, Learning and Modern Culture (2003), Beyond Technology: Children’s Learning in the Age of Digital Culture (2007), The Material Child: Growing Up in Consumer Culture (2011) and The Media Education Manifesto (2019).

Much of his recent research and writing focuses on historical dimensions of children, youth and media: his collection of essays, Growing Up Modern: Childhood, Youth and Popular Culture Since 1945, is available on this site. This has led on to some newer essays on broader aspects of cultural history in Britain during the 1950s and 1960s, also available here.

David has been a Visiting Professor at several universities in the UK, the United States, Norway, Australia, Italy, Hong Kong and South Africa, and has taught and addressed conferences in more than 40 countries around the world. His work has been disseminated in a wide range of print and broadcast media, nationally and internationally. He is a nominated Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, and an elected Fellow of the British Academy.