Peer-reviewed article
Online 24/7: Digital Infrastructure and Everyday online Practices of Contemporary Children
Anna Ardalyanova, Anna Vinokurova ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examines how Russian children aged 14-17 use digital devices and access the internet in their daily lives, and what this means for their well-being. The research found that being constantly connected online is a normal part of growing up for these children, and as they get older they manage online risks themselves rather than relying on parents. The study identifies safety concerns that teenagers develop from their own experience and recommends that children need both media literacy skills and protection from online risks.
Key points
- Digital devices and constant online access structure children's everyday life, creating an 'always-connected' childhood
- As children age, they use digital tools for different purposes and move from parental supervision to self-regulation
- Teenagers develop their own understanding of digital safety risks based on personal experience
- Children's digital socialization needs comprehensive support combining media literacy development with prevention of online risks
Limitations
The study is based on only 10 interviews with older children (14-17) in Russia, so findings may not represent younger children or other countries. The research describes children's experiences and perceptions but does not test the effectiveness of specific interventions to improve digital safety or well-being.
Abstract
The article examines children’s digital infrastructure (devices and online access) and everyday digital practices through the lens of their social well-being. The study is based on a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative data. The primary method of data collection was unstructured interviews with children aged 14–17 (n=10). In addition, secondary analysis was conducted using data from the Monitoring of the Digital Transformation of the Economy and Society carried out by the Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge, National Research University Higher School of Economics. Empirical data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative thematic coding. The findings demonstrate that digital devices and online access function as structuring elements of children’s everyday life, sustaining a regime of “always-connected” childhood. With age, functional differentiation of digital practices increases, accompanied by a shift from external parental mediation to trust and self-regulation. Key risks and strategies of digital safety formed by senior schoolchildren on the basis of personal experience are identified. The study concludes that children’s digital socialization requires comprehensive support combining the development of media literacy and agency with the prevention of online risks.