The media must avoid negative or “overly sensationalist” reporting about children’s experiences online and must first focus on portraying the many opportunities and benefits it affords, an EU-wide report led by an Irish author has said.

Policy recommendations in the EU Kids Online report led by Prof Brian O’Neill of Dublin Institute of Technology, urge that reporting about online safety “be balanced and proportionate”.

The report draws on research from 33 countries involved in the project. It was published today at the UN's international Internet Governance Forum in Istanbul, where governments, industry and NGOs are debating governance, regulation and freedom of the internet.

It urges governments and the European Commission to support efforts for cooperation in tackling online risks and abuses, especially those experienced by children.

Researchers on the project, which began in 2006, said that media sources had been found to shape children’s perceptions of what is problematic on the internet, “usually based on exaggerated representation about harmful consequences of online risks such as suicides associated with online bullying, or offline meetings with online predators”.

Efforts to raise parental awareness of good practices in online safety had been “hindered by reporting that sensationalises children’s exposure to risk”.

“While exposure to risk is often a feature of internet use, it does not necessarily result in harm,” the report said.

“Given that most young people’s experiences with online technologies are positive and beneficial, it is vital to avoid negative or overly sensationalist reporting or messaging.”

Just as it was important to listen to the voices of children and youth in raising awareness, so, too, it was "vital to ensure that messages are appropriately evidence-based and informed by reliable research findings".

All too often media coverage gave “insufficient information regarding the sources of research, its representativeness or reliability”.

“Hyping, intentionally or otherwise, research for maximum impact whilst distorting the subject of the study creates confusion for readers and tends to raise unwarranted fears or concerns that have little basis in reality.

The authors said children experienced a range of risks as part of their online use.

Some 40 per cent of nine to 16-year-olds had experienced one or more forms of risk online, according to previous research published by the EU Kids Online project. Yet just 12 per cent said they had been bothered or upset by something online.

EU Kids Online has previously found that a quarter of nine- to 10-year-olds and over half of 11- 12-year-olds use social networking – with 22 per cent and 53 per cent of those age groups respectively using Facebook.

Four in 10 give a false age on such services.

In Ireland, 39 per cent of 11-12 year olds and 14 per cent of nine- to 10-year olds has a social media profile - down from 50 and 20 per cent in 2010.

The report said that in media reportage of issues related to children online, journalists should seek to represent young people and their online experiences “in ways that respect their rights and their privacy”.

The report makes a range of recommendations for policymakers, for children and youth, for parents, for the media and for educators.

Industry providers, it says, should ensure ‘safety by default’ in their products, including customisable, easy-to-use safety features which are accessible to those with only basic digital literacy.

For their part, governments should ensure “meaningful youth participation” in relevant policy forums.

Prof O’Neill told The Irish Times he and his colleagues had consistently advocated for “evidence-based policy” in relation to children’s use of the internet and other technologies.

Most children had good and beneficial experiences and the online world was very much a part of ordinary, everyday experience.

Prof O’Neill said: “Keeping children safe online is a shared responsibility. Young people need support from their parents, teachers as well as from industry in using the internet.

“However, they also have to take responsibility for their own actions and behaviour online. One of the best ways of achieving this is to encourage them them to be more creative and digital literate. Embracing safe, positive uses of technology has to be the ultimate goal.”

Some parents might need additional guidance in relation to children’s use of the internet, he noted. In this regard, training provided by the National Parents’ Council, for example, had proved extremely helpful.

The project has been supported by the European Commission’s Safer Internet Programme and EU commissioner for the digital agenda, Neelie Kroes.

Prof O’Neill said he hoped there would be ongoing support for the project under the next commissioner.

While funding had been “relatively modest”, it had been a “particularly effective programme”.