A great illustration of a media panic. Read more by clicking the image.

You have all seen the grim headlines about kid’s internet use. Media reports and the public debate tend to depict young people’s net cultures as something destructive and dangerous.

Research shows something else; it shows that kids these days are very capable online and that the problems they face, such as cyberbullying, sexual exploitation and online hate, cannot be connected to contemporary media in any simple way.

Research also shows that many adults get their information about kid’s internet use from the media. Not from the kids themselves. This is clearly not a good thing. In fact, it can increase the risk for kids, since adults who panic are not the solid support that kids need.

Schools in Sweden are obligated to deal with digitalisation and cyberbullying, but the lack of research-based knowledge is a great obstacle. A recent report from the Swedish School Inspectorate shows that many schools do too little.

My latest book. Click on the image to buy.

I have been researching young people’s net cultures for 20 years. Now, I want to provide schools with scientifically underpinned courses on kid’s internet use in general and how to counteract cyberbullying in particular.

Because I’ve been doing this for so long, I have a name in the field. I already have paying customers but I want to take this to the next level. I want to offer affordable, web based and on site courses all over the country, and later also to the rest of the world.

So I am looking for a team and a partner who wants this to happen and be a part of it.

The timing is right, with all the demands on schools and the emerging understanding that we cannot base our efforts on emotions, assumptions and media reports.