What’s the rationale behind Australia’s ban on under-16s using social media platforms, and how effective is it likely to be? An interview with Professor Michael Dezuanni. Continue reading
Category Archives: Childhood
Protecting minors? Book bans are on their way to Britain
There is growing controversy about the banning of books from children’s libraries in the UK. What’s motivating this phenomenon, and what can we do about it? Continue reading
‘I can see it in your face’: the perils of age verification online
As the UK’s Online Safety Act begins to be implemented, some well-established critical questions are arising once again. Will we ever be able to prevent children accessing material that we deem to be harmful or objectionable? And if we can’t, what then?
Photography, class and creative labour: ‘Tish’ (2023)
A moving new documentary about the late British photographer Tish Murtha raises important questions about class, creativity and politics.
Documenting life in Gaza
Two documentaries made before the current conflict, giving an inside view of life in Gaza from the perspective of its inhabitants: Born in Gaza (dir. Hernan Zin, 2014) and Gaza (dirs. Andrew McConnell and Gary Keane, 2018).
When is a children’s comic subversive?
The Beano, the UK’s longest-running children’s comic, is often celebrated as ‘subversive’. But what does such a claim really mean?
Adult fans, children’s culture: the curious case of My Little Pony
What’s going on for adult fans of children’s culture? Some thoughts about the bronies, and other adult fans of My Little Pony.
Do children need ‘smart homes’?
Companies are increasingly interested in selling technologies that will create ‘smart homes’. But what are the implications for children and their parents?
What are children’s media rights?
Three decades on from the UN Convention, what does it mean to talk about children’s rights in relation to media?
The trouble with Peppa Pig
Recent controversies about a cute cartoon character are part of a longer history of adults’ responses to media for very young children.
David Buckingham 