The Nordic Welfare Centre (NWC), which is an institution under the Nordic Council of Ministers, is seeking academic partners and organisations interested in participating in a project on Nordic co-operation on a safer digital democracy for children and youth. The project will contribute to Nordic research and knowledge generation on digital media and children and young people as well as the development of recommendations on how the Nordic countries can ensure a safer digital democracy for children and youth.
1. Background
Digital media is an important part of everyday life for most Nordic children and young people. They use digital media to play games, listen to music, search for information, read books and news, watch films, TV programmes and online channels, and socialise with friends. Digital media is also used in schools and increasingly in health care services and counselling. Much public debate also takes place on digital media. Digital media thus offer important opportunities for children’s and young people’s development, learning, leisure, communication and participation, providing easily accessible information, entertainment and culture, as well as a means of participation in society and democratic debate. At the same time, digital media pose challenges for children and young people. These include sedentary behaviour, sleeping problems, addiction, comparison culture and body stress. Other risks include bullying, online hate, grooming, violence and exploitation, as well as access to harmful content and material, fake news and mis/disinformation. Children’s and young people’s use of digital media can thus affect their physical and mental health and well-being, but also their schooling and their willingness to participate in public discourse online. Moreover, children and youth are exposed to marketing on digital media and face privacy challenges as their personal data and information are collected and shared by the large technology companies that provide the digital services, often without their active and informed consent. Moreover, it is important to bear in mind that children and youth are not a homogenous group. Children and young people of different ages, genders and groups are exposed to, use, and are affected by digital media in different ways. For example, while digital media can offer important opportunities for inclusion for certain groups of children and youth, such as LBTQI, those with disabilities, or those from minority cultures or indigenous peoples, they can also expose them to disproportionate risks and negative consequences.
2. Nordic co-operation on a safer digital democracy for children and youth
In recent years, the media habits of children and young people have been debated in the Nordic countries. Some of the issues discussed are social media’s negative effects, screen time and age limits for social media use.The Governments in several Nordic countries have set up commissions and tasked authorities to examine the impact of digital media on the health, learning and well-being of children and young people, and to develop strategies and recommendations to safeguard their well-being in relation to digital media. At the Nordic level, digital media’s impact on society has also been discussed. In May 2022, the Nordic Council of Ministers for Culture established a temporary Nordic Think Tank for Tech and Democracy to examine the growing influence of social media and Big Tech companies on the democratic debate. The Think Tank presented the report A Nordic approach to democratic debate in the age of Big Tech”in April 2023, which offers 11 recommendations on how the Nordic countries can protect and strengthen the democratic debate in an era dominated by Big Tech companies. Recommendation 2A focuses on children and young people: Protect the well-being and safety of children and youth online and push for ore general control for citizens. In follow up to recommendation 2A, the Nordic Council of Ministers3 has launched a three-year project on Nordic co-operation on a safer digital democracy for children and youth 2024-2026, which is implemented by the Nordic Welfare Centre. 4The aim of the project is to promote Nordic cooperation and strategic knowledge exchange on how to ensure a safer digital democracy for children and youth. To this end the project will produce the following outputs:
1) A Nordic analysis of research and knowledge on the positive and negative effects of digital media on children and young people.
2) An overview of policies, programmes, initiatives and structures in the Nordic countries to empower and protect children and youth in relation to digital media, as well as key international standards, guidelines and initiatives.
3) A report capturing the views and recommendations of Nordic children and young people, based on consultations with children and youth.
4) Joint Nordic recommendations on how to ensure a safer digital democracy for children and youth. The various outputs will be carried out during 2025, and the reports and recommendations will be published and disseminated during 2026. The final recommendations of the project (the Joint Nordic recommendations) will be presented to the Nordic Council of Ministers and other stakeholders.
A Nordic Steering Group provides overall guidance to the project and monitors its progress. The Steering Group consists of one official from each of the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Åland Islands), as well as three youth representatives. The Secretariat of the Nordic Council of Ministers has observer status in the Steering Group.A Nordic Working Group of researchers and experts in the field of digital media and children and young people has also been formed to support the project and the two assignments outlined in this call for research co-operation.
3. Academic partners or individual organizations to contribute to research on children and young people and digital media
The Nordic Welfare Centre is looking for academic institutions which are interested in contributing to assignment #1 or assignment #2, or both. These correspond to the project’s outputs listed in the previous section. Individual organizations, such as NGOs, may also apply for assignment #2.
Assignment 1:
To produce a consolidated report covering the following: Part A:A Nordic analysis of the positive and negative effects of digital media on children and youth; Part B:An overview of policies, programmes, initiatives and structures in the Nordic countries to empower and protect children and youth in relation to digital media, as well as key international standards, guidelines and initiatives, and Part C: Conclusions from research findings and recommendations on how to strengthen children’s and young people’s well-being in relation to digital media and ensure a safer digital democracy for Nordic children and youth. The scope of work and the specific issues to be examined will be defined at the beginning of the assignment in collaboration with the Nordic Welfare Centre and the Nordic Working Group that supports the project. The report should cover the situation in the Nordic countries that are part of the project.
Part A of the report should examine current research, literature, and quantitative and qualitative data available from the countries. Interviews with key stakeholders and experts should also inform the research, as necessary. The analysis should take a rights-based approach and look at both the opportunities and the risks that children and young people face with digital media. Among others, the following questions should be addressed: • How do children and young people use digital media in the Nordic region, and how does this affect them? • What are some of the positive effects of digital media for children and young people? • What are some of the negative consequences of digital media for children and young people? • What are some of the emerging issues and trends that require further attention, such as for example artificial intelligence (AI)? Part B of the report should provide an overview of policies, programmes, initiatives and structures in place in the Nordic countries to empower and protect children and youth in relation to digital media. The Nordic Welfare Centre, the Nordic Working Group and the Nordic Steering Gorup will support the academic partner in the identification and collection of relevant documentation and information on policies, programmes, initiatives and structures in place in the countries. Interviews with key stakeholders and other relevant experts should also inform the research. The academic partner is expected to undertake a comparative analysis of the policies, programmes and structures in place in the countries, and provide a synthesis report of the key findings, challenges, promising policies and initiatives, and lessons learned. A mapping and analysis of key international standards, guidelines and initiatives should also be undertaken. Part C of the report should conclude with a conclusion from the research findings and a set of recommendations on how to strengthen children’s and young people’s well-being in relation to digital media and ensure a safer digital democracy for Nordic children and youth, which are based on the findings in parts A and B. These conclusions and recommendations will inform and feed into the development of the project’s final recommendations, i.e. the Joint Nordic recommendations on how to ensure a safer digital democracy for children and youth. The consolidated report (parts A, B, C) is expected to be delivered in a coherent written report in British English of approximately 50-70 pages (including an executive summary but excluding references). The format of the report will be agreed with the Nordic Welfare Centre at the start of the project. The estimated budget for the work to produce the consolidated report (parts A, B, C) is a maximum of SEK 750,000 (no VAT to be added since this is a research collaboration). In your application, please specify the amount per section (i.e. Part A, Part B and Part C).
Assignment 2:
To produce a report which captures the views and recommendations of Nordic children and young people on digital media’s impact on children and youth, and how to ensure a safer digital democracy for children and young people. This corresponds to output #3 of the project. The report should be based on consultations with children and young people from the Nordic countries that are part of the project.6 Ideally, consultations should be held with children and youth representing different age groups and communities, such as children and young people with disabilities, LBTQI children and youth, children and young people of minority groups or indigenous peoples, and other relevant groups. The age range of children and youth to be consulted, and the specific questions for the consultations, will be defined in collaboration with the Nordic Welfare Centre and the Nodic Working Group supporting the project. However, the consultations are expected to address, among others, the following questions: • What are some of the positive consequences of digital media for children and young people? • What are some of the negative consequences of digital media for children and young people? • What should different stakeholders do to empower and safeguard children and young people on digital media? • What are some of the recommendations going forward? The results of the consultations will inform the development of a report on the views and recommendations of Nordic children and young people on this issue.The consultations are expected to take place during 2025, and the report is expected to be ready in 2026. The report may also draw on previous research and consultations with children and young people in this field, as deemed appropriate, and per agreement with the Nordic Welfare Centre. The report is expected to be delivered in a coherent written report in British English of approximately 30-40 pages (including an executive summary but excluding references). The format of the report will be agreed with the Nordic Welfare Centre at the start of the project, and other possible formats could be discussed. The estimated budget for the report on the views and recommendations of Nordic children and youth, including the consultations, is a maximum of 300,000 SEK (noVAT to be added since this is a research collaboration).
4. Other: Project management, publication and dissemination
The Nordic Welfare Centre is the project manager for the overall project and will support the academic institution or the individual organisation in the implementation of the different assignments. This will include support for input meetings with the Nordic Working Group and the Nordic Steering Group for the project, as well as with expert networks and other relevant stakeholders. The Nordic Welfare Centre will publish and launch the different products delivered within the project and disseminate them through various communication channels. The final recommendations of the project (i.e. the Joint Nordic recommendations) will be presented to the Nordic Council of Ministers and other relevant stakeholders.
5. Deadline and submission of applications
The deadline for the application to the different assignments is 22 of April 2025. The applications should be submitted to: Clara Sommarin, Senior Advisor Children and Youth, Nordic Welfare Centre, (clara.sommarin@nordicwelfare.org). As noted above, academic institutions can apply to assignment #1 or assignment #2 of the project, or both. Individual organizations, such as NGOs, may apply for assignment #2. If you have any questions, please contact: Clara Sommarin, Senior Advisor Children and Youth, Nordic Welfare Centre Email: clara.sommarin@nordicwelfare.org Mobil: (0046) 72-880 84 15