Title: Selfies, Snapchat and Keeping Safe: How do looked after children engage online? A mixed methods investigation
Funder: Health and Care Research Wales (Welsh Government)

Abstract: Background: Young people spend an increasing amount of time online, with 32% of teens spending up to three hours on social media per day (Scott, Biello and Woods, 2019). The online world is an important part of their daily lives for socialisation and entertainment (Boyd, 2014), but it also poses risks, including cyberbullying and harassment. While there is an abundance of international research devoted to online engagement and social media access, little attention has been paid to its impact on those who are looked after or care experienced. These young people are particularly vulnerable. Those who are looked after have poorer educational outcomes than their peers (Sebba et al., 2015) In addition, they have both particular risks and opportunities, related to online activities that we need to understand. They are likely to be more vulnerable in regard to online activities by virtue of their involvement in the care system and may also experience issues in accessing technology, further increasing their susceptibility to online harm (Cross et al., 2009) as well as making them outsiders within their wider peer group (Wang et al., 2010). ncreased understanding is needed regarding the online lives of looked after children, how they engage with social media and what challenges they face (Sen, 2016). While we are aware that there is this increased vulnerability, we know little about what their online lives are like or how they engage with their peers and family in online spaces. The proposed study will focus on these issues. Aims 1. To understand how looked after children engage online and experience social and digital forms of media. 2. To ascertain the breadth of cyberbullying behaviours that looked after children experience as compared with their peers. 3. To determine the potential risk factors that social and digital media might have on looked after children. 4. To determine the advantages that social media and online activities provide for looked after children and those who are care experienced. Plan of investigation: Phase one: The first phase of this study will analyse the SHRN (School Health Research Network) Student Health and Wellbeing Survey data which is undertaken every two years. The purpose of this data is to increase the knowledgebase on young people’s health and wellbeing. The analysis will focus on selected variables related to young people’s health, wellbeing, involvement in cyberbullying and social media usage. Phase 2: The second phase involves interviews with young people who have care experience about their digital lives, how they use technology and social media, for what purpose they use social media, and who they are interacting with online and why. These interviews will be carried out by myself and alongside a research trained care leaver, who will also assist in the creation of the interview guide in order to be as sensitive as possible. Summary of potential benefits: This research, focusing on the online lives of looked after children, will be the first of its kind in Wales. The findings from this study will have far-reaching benefits, including better support for young people in care around social media, how they socialise online and how they interact with friends, peers and family in the digital world. In addition, this research will benefit foster carers, social workers, educators and young people themselves in how those who are looked after engage in online spaces.

Lay abstract: The aims of the project are: 1. Do looked after children engage in or experience cyberbullying at the same rate as their peers? 2. How do looked after children experience social media? What are their digital lives like? 3. What are the risk factors of online engagement for looked after children? 4. What advantages does online engagement offer for looked after children? Young people today engage online via social media to maintain friendships, socialise, entertain and educate themselves. They spend an increasing amount of time online, with 21% of young people using social media for at least five hours (Scott, Biello and Woods, 2019). While there is extensive international research on cyberbullying and social media usage among young people, little is known about the online lives of looked after children. It is reasonable to assume that they would be engaging as much as their peers. However, care orders, a lack of financial means and changes in placements may influence their rates of internet and social media access. Understanding how looked after children engage online is important to fill this research gap in addition to promote further understanding of this population and how best to meet their needs. First, this research will determine the extent that looked after children engage online as well as where and how they access social media. Second, it will discover who looked after children engage with online. Third, this research will examine the rates in which looked after children engage in or experience cyberbullying as compared to their peers. Lastly, this research will determine if there are any barriers or issues that looked after children have in accessing technology and online spaces. This research will contribute to the growing body of knowledge about looked after children in Wales. Public involvement will include the recruitment of care experienced individuals to the steering committee for this project. Additionally, this project has been discussed with and encouraged by CASCADE Voices, along with staff from Voices from Care Cymru, as well as researchers and lecturers from Cardiff University. There will be a range of dissemination activities taking place at the conclusion of the project, which will be co-produced with the researchers involved in the project. There will be workshops arranged through ExChange Wales, which is the information dissemination network within CASCADE, which will allow practitioners, educators, foster carers and other interested parties to be further informed about the online lives of care experienced young people. There will also be opportunities to present findings at national and international conferences.

Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS;2.4 SURVEILLANCE AND DISTRIBUTION
Health categories: DISPUTED AETIOLOGY AND OTHER