France

Please click here for French language Website

In brief: French findings from EU Kids Online 2020

Sixty-two per cent of young people access the internet daily using their mobile phone and 39% use a computer. A third of the participants use tablets.

The average time spent online daily is 2 hours and 6 minutes during the week and 3 hours and 16 minutes during weekends. Eight per cent of the participants spend over 6 hours a day online during the week and 18% at weekends. Those who spend more time online are young people aged 14 to 15 during the week and those aged 16 to 17 during weekends. Fifty per cent of the children have a profile on a social network. The most used application is Snapchat (25%), with a significant difference between girls and boys (31.6% vs 17.7%). Facebook comes second, with 23%. The majority of children in France use the internet for entertainment (videos and music) and communication.

As for safety, 60% of the children report knowing what they should or should not publish on the internet. A small majority (51%) report that they know what to do if something online bothers or upsets them and 53% know how to block unwanted contacts; only 44% can manage their safety parameters. Thirty-one per cent know how to keep track of the cost of their mobile app use. Forty per cent had been sent nasty or hurtful messages online during the year preceding the survey, among which 8.4% reported this happened often.

Exposure and involvement in cyberhate, that is, hate based on ethnic or religious criteria, is a preoccupying societal issue as it impacts not only individuals but also their communities and social cohesion. The majority of young people understand that cyberhate is a form of aggression and that it has negative consequences on people’s lives. Participants were involved as exposed, victims or perpetrators. However, 15% stated that they had been exposed to cyberhate (racism, xenophobia or religious-based content), 3% had been victims of cyberhate and 2% self-reported being authors of cyberhate.

Although these percentages are small, being a victim is associated with negative outcomes and should be taken seriously. Structural equation models highlight that offline victimisation and cyberhate are correlated with both cyberhate perpetration and victimisation. Moreover, victimisation is related to negative and deviant behaviours (lying, stealing, fighting, etc.) and it affects wellbeing as victims score higher levels of anxiety and impulsivity and have lower self-esteem.

Questionnaires

The EU Kids Online fieldwork involved several questionnaires. First, a face to face interview with one parent. Second, a face to face interview with the child. Then a self-completion interview for sensitive questions, with one version for 9-10 year olds and one version for 11-16 year olds.

Questionnaire for parent

Questionnaire for child

Self-completion questionnaire for child (Children age 9-10)

Self-completion questionnaire for child (Children age 11-16)

Audrin, C., & Blaya, C. (2023). Personal and social protective factors of cyberhate: A general strain theory approach. International Journal of Psychology, 59(2), 331–339.

Görzig, A., & Blaya, C., Bedrosova, M., Audrin, C., & Machackova, H. (2022). The amplification of cyberhate victimisation by discrimination and low life satisfaction: Can supportive environments mitigate the risks? Journal of Early Adolescence, 43(1).

Bedrosova, M., Machackova, H., Šerek, J., Smahel, D., & Blaya, C. (2022). The relation between the cyberhate and cyberbullying experiences of adolescents in the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia. Computers in Human Behavior, 126, 107013.

Wachs, S. Mazzone, A., Milosevic, T., Wright, M.F., Blaya, C., Gámez-Guadix, M., & O'Higgins Norman, J. (2021). Online Correlates of Cyberhate Involvement among Adolescents from Ten European Countries: An Application of the Routine Activity and Problem Behavior Theory. Computers in Human Behaviour, 123, 106872.

Audrin, C., & Blaya, C. (2020). Psychological well-being in a connected world: the impact of cybervictimization in children’s and young people’s life in France. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1.

Blaya, C. (205) Cyberviolence et climat scolaire, Les dossiers des sciences de l’éducation, 33, 69-90.

Velicu, A. & Blaya, C. (2014). School Mediation. In Smahel, D. & (2014). The meaning of online problematic situations for Children. Results of qualitative cross-cultural investigation in nine European countries.

Blaya, C. (2014). Etude du lien entre cyberviolence et climat scolaire : enquête auprès des collégiens d’Ile de France. Toulouse : Les Dossiers des Sciences de l’Education(accepté – à paraître 2^nd semestre 2014).

Blaya, C. (2013). Les ados dans le cyberspace, prise de risques et cyberviolence. Bruxelles: De Boeck.

Guide de prevention de la cyberviolence: http://www.agircontreleharcelementalecole.gouv.fr/quest-ce-que-le-harcelement/le-cyberharcelement/

Berguer, A., Blaya, C. and Berthaud, J. (2012). ‘Faire de la cyberviolence un objet scientifique: un challenge pour la communauté de recherche internationale.’ In C. Carra and B. Mabilon-Bonfils (Eds). Violences à l’école, normes et professionnalités en questions. Arras: Artois Presse Université. Arras: Artois Presse Université.

Catherine Blaya is Professor in Education Sciences at the university for teacher education in Lausanne (Switzerland). She teaches at the Special Education Needs unit and is co-director of its research centre for the prevention of school dropout (LASALE). She is member of the Research Unit on Migrations and Society (UMR CNRS 8245-IRD 205) specialized in the study of migrations and interethnic relations at the university Nice Sophia Antipolis. She has been dedicating her academic career to researching issues that might affect the young people’s lives such as dropping out of school, school climate, cyberbullying, and cyberhate.

Catherine Audrin is a scientific collaborator at the University of teacher education in Lausanne (Switzerland). Having a PhD in psychology, she has a great interest for the application of statistical analyses and methods. She is working on the importance of emotions in everyday life and in decision-making.

Omara Sansegundo Moreno is research assistant of Catherine Blaya at the University of teacher education in Lausanne (Switzerland) at the special education needs unit. She is an educationalist and holds a Master degree in social work. She is experienced in statistical analysis and taking a PhD in Education Sciences.

Sylvia Trieu is a master student in social sciences at the University of Lausanne. She is particularly interested in themes that focus on gender and education. She was a freelancer for Lausanne FM radio, hence her interest in the media. Currently, she works for the project Media Use of disabled youth (MUDY) under the direction of Catherine Blaya.

Bureau 317 – URMIS – MSHS Sud Est, Pôle universitaire, St Jean d’Angély – 24 avenue des Diables Bleus, 06357, Nice, Cedex 4

Email: Catherine.blaya@univ-cotedazur.fr

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France

Please click here for French language Website

In brief: French findings from EU Kids Online 2020

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