Stacey Card -Thesis Children and Information Communication Technologies in the Media: a study using Moral Panic Theory. Stacey Card Bachelor ofEducation Submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Education (Research) Centre for Learning Innovation Faculty of Education Queensland University of Technology 2013 Stacey Card -Thesis Keywords Moral panic, Information Communication Technologies (ICT), digital media, newspapers, intemet, computers, children, parental supervision, education, content analysis, discourse analyse. Stacey Card -Thesis ABSTRACT The impact of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) on society has been widely discussed in both academic and public debates. Recent attention has focused on children, and their ICT use. This thesis is an investigation of the media's representation of children and ICT. The study draws on moral panic theory and Queensland newspaper media, to identity the impact of newspaper reporting on the public's perceptions of young people and ICT. A discourse analysis, using content analysis as a theoretical perspective, was conducted of Queensland newspaper articles between June 2011 to June 2012 to uncover how media attention on children and ICT is represented to the public. Through the use of content analysis a comparison was conducted of reporting styles used by the media to report on ICT in general, compared to ICT and children. There was a significant increase in both the sensationalised and stylised representations of ICT in reporting used in articles addressing children and ICT. This was displayed through a significant increase in the negative representation of ICT and the intensification of suggested social controls measures for children. The sensationalised and destructively stylised representations of ICT and children have the potential to negatively impact on the public perceptions of children and their ICT use. This study draws on moral panic theory to better understand the implications of collective perceptions. It is suggested that the negative sensationalised news reporting of ICT and children creates an unrealistic fear of ICT and the intemet to the public, consequently resulting in a moral panic. These fmdings will contribute to future research into public perceptions and policy development around ICT and children. 2 Stacey Card -Thesis Table of Contents Keywords ............................................................................................................................... ! ABSTRACT ............................................................................ ...................................... ......... 2 Statement of Original Authorship ............................... .......... ................................................. 5 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................ 6 Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................ 7 1.1 Information Communication Technologies ..................................................................... 7 1.2 Moral Panic ........................................................................... ........................................ II 1.3 Research Aim and Questions .................................. ................................... .................. 12 1.4 Scope ofResearch ........................................................... ............................................... l3 1.5 Research Design........................................................ ..................................................... l4 1.6 Expected Outcomes ....................................................................................................... 15 1.7 Summary............................................................. ........................................................... l5 Chapter 2: Literature Review ................................................................................. 16 2. 1 ICT Integration within a Child Context... ................. ..................................................... l6 2.2 Parental Supervision of Children's ICT use .................................................................. !& 2.3 Social Emotional Benefits ofiCT. ....... ......................................................................... 21 2.4 TheRole oflnformation Communication Technologies in Education.......................... 23 2.5 Perceived PotentialRisks Associated with ICT............................................................. 28 2.5.1 Exposure to Inappropriate Material.... ........ ........................................... ................. 28 2.5.2 Cyber bullying ............. ................................ ........ .................................................... 29 2.5. 3 Risk Associated with Social Networking Sites (SNS)...... ................ ......................... 31 2.5.4 Disclosure of Sensitive Material .................. ............ ....... ......................................... 31 2.5.5 Vulnerability to predators ........................................ ........ .......................... ........... .. 32 2.5.6 Pathological internet use ............................. ......................•..................................•.. 33 2.5. 7 Summary ofPerceived Potential risks .......................... ............................. .............. 34 2.6 Influences of Parental Supervision ................................................................................ 36 2.7 Phenomenon of Moral Panic...... ................................................................................... 40 2.8 Four stages of Moral Panic .................. ..........................................................................40 2.9 Three Theories of Moral Panic ..................................................................................... 43 2. 10 Moral Panic and the Media ................ ............................. .............................................44 2.11 Summary ................................................................... ..... .............................................. 46 Chapter 3: Methodology..................................................... ..................................... 47 3 .I Conceptual Framework ................. ............................................. .................................... 47 3.2 Method of Analysis.................................................... .................................................... 50 3.3 Sampling ........................... ,.............................. .............................................................. 53 3.4 The Method of Investigation.................... .................... .................................................. 53 3.4.1 Moral Panic ............................................................................................................. 54 3.5 Key variables descriptors .......................................................................... ..................... 55 3.5.1 Themes ..... ...................... .......................................................................................... 55 3 Stacey Card -Thesis 3. 5. 2 Control Group ..... ............ ........ ...... ....... .................... ... ........... ............... ... .......... ..... 58 3. 5. 3 Persuasive tone and Sub-categories ....... ................. ........ ...... .. .... ... ............ ............. 58 3. 5. 4 Culture of Social Control .................. .................... .. ... .......... .... .... ...... ................... .. 59 3.6 Summary ................................ .......... .............................. ............................. .................. 62 Chapter 4: Results and Analysis......................................... .................................... 63 4.1 Representation oflnformation Communication Technologies... ..... ................ ..............64 4.1.1 Themes ........... ................... ..... ...................... ...................... ...................................... 64 4.1.2 Persuasive tone and Sub-categories ofArticles .. .... .................. ................ ......... ..... 67 4.2 Decontextualization of Articles .................... ................ .. .... ................ ........................... 73 4.3 Analysis of culture of social control .............................. ........ ........................................79 4.4 Four Stages of Moral Panic and Results ......... ........ ...... ............................. .......... .......... 89 4. 4.1 The warning stage ........................... ............... .......................... .... ........................... 90 4. 4. 2 The impact stage .. ............ ........... ............... ....... ....... ... ...... ............................. ........ .. 92 4. 4. 3 The inventory stage ..................................... ..................... ........................................ 93 4. 4. 4 The reaction stage .. ....... .................. .............. ......... ............. ..... ..... .......................... 94 4.5 Summary .......................................... ...... ............... ....... ..... ......................................... .... 97 Chapter 5: Conclusions ........................................................................................... 99 5. 1 Review of research aim.......... ...................................................... ..........