BestPracticesforDesigning

Connected,DigitalDIYMediaPlatformsforKids

TheKidsDo-It-YourselfMediaPartnership

2011-2018

SummaryReportofKeyFindings

Preparedby:

DeborahA.Fields,PhD,UtahStateUniversity

SaraM.Grimes,PhD,UniversityofToronto

SarahRoger,PhD,UniversityofToronto

September20,2019|Toronto,ON|LosAngeles,CA

BestPracticesforKidsDIYMedia| 2

BestPracticesforDesigning

Connected,DigitalDIYMediaPlatformsforKidsWhere children’s creationsused tobe relegated to refrigeratordoors and classroombulletinboards, they can now be shared with an audience of millions thanks to connected digitaltechnologies.Between2013and2018,theKidsDIYMediaPartnershiplookedathowandwherechildren create and sharemedia online, and at the designs, regulations, infrastructures, andtechnologiesthatunderpintheplatformskidsuse.Ourfocuswasonexploringtheopportunitiesandchallengesassociatedwithkids’DIYmedia,andwith findingwaystobest fosterarights-based,inclusive,child-centricapproachtochildren’sonlinemedia-makingandsharing.WorkingwithCanadianandAmericanacademics,designers,mediaproducers,childadvocates,educators,andNGOs,weidentifiedmanystrengthsinthekids’DIYmedialandscape.Wealsospottedsomeareasforimprovement.

Our project beganwith a content analysis of 140websites where children can shareeverything from fanfiction to computer programs, physical media to digital videos.We alsolooked at the laws and regulations that govern thesewebsites. Subsequently,we conductedsevencasestudiesofexceptional,productivemodelsofchildren’sdigitallyconnectedDIYmediaproductionandparticipation:Algodoo,DIY.org,GamestarMechanic,Roblox,Scratch,Storybird,and Tate Kids. We conducted focus groups with children who use DIY platforms and heldworkshopswithadultswhodesign them.Together,allof this informationhas resulted in therecommendationsprovidedhere: research-based,user-supportedbestpractices fordesigningDIYmediaplatformsaimedat(orinclusiveof)children.

Our research has shown that there is no single bestway to support children’smediamaking.Asaresult,weproposearangeofprinciplestoconsiderwhendesigningforandwithchildren.Webeginwithwaystoimprovecreation,sharing,collaboration,civicengagement,self-representation, and education; next,we turn to legal concerns such as child-friendly privacypoliciesandcopyrightregulations;finally,weconsiderhowplatformscanbechild-friendlyandage-appropriate.

BestPracticesforKidsDIYMedia| 3

OpportunitiesforCreationAtitscore,DIYmediaisaboutcreativity.TobeconsideredDIY,platformsmustprovidechildrenwith places to create anything from a virtual world to a short story to a digital avatar forconnectedgameplay.

Manyplatformsofferchildrenvirtualversionsofanalogueactivities,suchasdrawingpicturesorwritingstories.Othersofferchildrentoolsforcreatingnewermediaforms,suchasgames,butonlyataverybasiclevel.WerecommendthatDIYmediaopportunitiesbeexpandedtoincludemoreactivitiesforwhichdigitaltoolsplayanintegralrole,andwhichallowformorecomplex,multi-mediacreations.

1. Provide children with a broad range of design features and complex DIY mediaopportunities.Makeuseofthedigitalmediumtoprovidechildrenwithvenuesfordoingthingstheycannotnotdoinanalogueenvironments.

When given creative license, children often draw upon existingmaterial. In some cases, thismeansremixingandmoddingtheirpeers’creations;inothercases,thismeansadaptingcontentfromfavouritetelevisionprogramsandvideogames:

2. Facilitatechildren’sremixingandmoddingoftheirpeers’works.Providechildrenwithbetteraccesstoeachother’screations,sothattheycanbuildoneachother’swork.

3. Allow for better integration with and access to material under copyright. Corporateinterestsmustnotoverridethoseofchildren.DIYmediausersmustbepermittedtomakeuseofcopyrightmaterialintheircreationstothefullextentpermittedbyfairdealing.

OpportunitiesforSharing

SharingisintegraltotheDIYmediacreationexperience.Forchildren,sharingtheircreationsandbenefittingfromtheadvantagesassociatedwithsharingarekeymotivatorsforcreatingmediaonaconnectedplatform.Sharingisimportantforunderstandingwhatispossible,learningnewmethods,andbecomingpartofacreativecommunity:

4. Givechildrenopportunitiestosharetheircreations.Provideafull,robustsystemforthedistributionofDIYmediacreationswithinandbeyondtheconfinesofthevirtualworldinwhichthecreationhasbeenmadeorposted.Ensurethatmethodsforsharing(andforviewingworkthathasbeenshared)areeasytoaccessandeasytouse.

5. Provide curated public venues for sharing. Featured user creations should be easilyaccessible—forexample,onthehomepageoranotherpagethatiseasytolocate.Kidsneedtobeabletofindothers’worksaswellassharetheirown.

Someof themostengagingplatformsweanalyzedsharedusers’mediaon their frontpages,givingeasyaccesstoeverythingfromrecentcreationstopopularprojectstocuratedcontent

BestPracticesforKidsDIYMedia| 4

that showcases new techniques. Some fanfiction sites even feature writing under revision,providingkidsagreatopportunitytolearnfromseeinghowtheirpeershaveprogressedfromoneversiontothenext:

6. Findwaystomakethesharingprocessiterative.Allowchildrentosaveandsharemultipleversionsoftheirwork.Providevenuesforshowcasingprogress.

Childrengainalotbysharingwiththeiron-sitepeersbutalsofromsharingwith—andreceivingfeedbackfrom—friendsandfamilywhodonotusetheplatforms:

7. Opportunitiesforsharingshouldnotberestricted.ConsiderprovidingchildrenwithwaysofsharingtheircreationswithfamilyandfriendswhodonotuseDIYmediaplatforms.

Storybirdprovidesamodelforbothpersonalandpublicsharing.Participantscandistributetheirworktofriendsandfamilyviaaprovidedlink.Atthesametime,materialtobesharedpubliclyissubmittedformoderation;onceithasbeenclearedbyanin-houseteam,itispostedsothatitcan be viewed by the site’s other creator-participants and by the broader public. Whilesubscribershavetheircreationsreviewedandpubliclypostedmorequicklythannon-subscribers,alluserscansharetheirworksimmediatelywithfriendsandfamily.

For kids to be able to share theirwork off-platform, theremust bemechanisms to facilitatesharing.Theeasieritistoshare,themorelikelychildrenaretodoso:

8. Do not require children to have access to third-party applications in order to share.ChildrenshouldnotneedaccesstoFacebookorothersocialmediaplatforms(especiallythosethatbanchildrenunder13)tosharetheircreationswithfamilyandfriends.

OpportunitiesforCollaboration

Collaborationexistsalongside—andoftenasaresultof—sharing.Toincreasecollaboration,kidsneedopportunitiestointeractwitheachother:

9. Provideplentifulvenuesforinteraction.Forexample,giveusersopportunitiesto“like”and comment on each other’s creations. Provide opportunities for exchangingconstructivecriticism.

By sharing their creations, kids learn how to engage with an audience and contribute tosomethingbigger.Sharingtheirworksandviewingandcommentingonthoseofothersletsthempracticesprovidingandacceptingconstructivecriticism.To foster theseskills,platformsmustencouragesharing.Theycandosobyprovidingkidswithwaysof seeingwhether theirworkinterestsotherusers: forexample,platformscanprovidepageviewcountersandbuttonsfor“favoriting”,andsoforth.

BestPracticesforKidsDIYMedia| 5

Allowinguserstocommentoneachother’screationsfacilitatessocializingviasharedinterestsandcanleadtocollaboration.Platformscanencourageaconstructiveenvironmentbyhavingdesigners provide motivational comments and by training children to provide high-qualityfeedbackontheirpeers’work:

10. Create an environment that fosters creative collaboration rather than hampering it.Protect this positive environment via peer and third-partymoderation of forums andopportunitiestoreportabuse.

11. Encourage social interaction through forums, user chat, and other means ofcommunication.Considerhowsocialinteractioncanbeusedtoencouragecollaboration.Have designers and user-leaders model constructive criticism and motivationalcomments.

OpportunitiesforCivicEngagement

Amajorstrengthofkids’DIYmediaistheopportunityitprovidesforcivicengagement.ChildrencanuseDIYmedia platforms to practice collaborative behaviour that has lifelong, real-worldapplications:

12. Designplatformsthatsupportchildren’scivicengagementandenablethemtodevelopdigitalcitizenship.Providethemwithopportunitiestovoicetheiropinions,engageincivildebate,andhaveinputondecisionsthatwillaffectthem.Ensuretheyareinformedoftheirrightsandresponsibilities.

13. Providechildrenwithopportunitiestobecomeleaders:encouragepeermoderationandpeer mentorship. Invite children to provide feedback on how their platforms aredesigned,ruled,andregulated.

Ifkidsaregoingtopracticecivicengagement,theyneedgoodbehaviourmodeledforthem:

14. Developanage-appropriatemodelforteachingchildrenaboutpublicaccountability,howtoparticipateinon-platformmoderation, andhowtoengageincivilcommunicationandcreation.

15. Providewaysforchildrentoreportinappropriateconductandcontent.Engagingchildreninthemoderationprocesswillhelpthemtakeownershipoftheplatformandwillhonetheircivicvalues.

16. Wherepossible,provideadditionalmoderationandcontent-vettingbyplatformstaff.Betransparentabouthowthesedecisionsaremade.

BestPracticesforKidsDIYMedia| 6

OpportunitiesforSelf-Representation

DIYmediaplatformsallowchildrentorepresentthemselvesviaonlineprofiles.Detailedprofilesprovideuserswithasenseofselfwhilealsoshowcasingtheiraccomplishmentsandcreations,andofferingthemawaytoconnectwithotherswhosharetheirinterests:

17. Offerchildrenthemeanstoexpresstheiridentities.Fosterself-representationthroughtoolssuchasmodifiableprofilesandopportunitiestocustomizepersonalpages.Letuserscuratecontentfortheirprofilesandfortheplatform.

There are some excellent examples of creation-based profiles on DIY media platforms. Forexample,theuserprofileonScratchincludesnotonlyathumbnailimageanddetailsabouttheuser’son-siteexperiencebutalsoexamplesoftheuser’sworkswiththeoptiontohighlightafeatured project. Profiles on Scratch can also feature projects that the user has favorited,collectionsofprojectstheyhavecurated,andprojectsandpeopletheyfollow(andthosewhofollow them) (see figure 1). By curating and featuring other users’works, profiles become akeystonefornetworkedcommunities:

18. Providetoolsthatcanbeusedtoconnectusers.Curatedprojects,pagestofeature,likesandfavourites,andlistsoffriendsandcollaboratorsareallwaysthatchildrencanbuildnetworks.

Whilerepresentingthemselvesonlinecanprovidekidswithanexcellentopportunityforidentityformation,platformsmuststillprotectthemfromidentitytheftorworse:

19. Ensurethatprofile-buildingtoolsrespecttheprivacyandprotectthesafetyofchildren.Donotallowchildrentoshareinformationthatwillputthematrisk.

20. Provide guidance onwhat information users should share andhow to best representthemselvesonline.

Figure1.Side-by-sideviewsoftheextensiveScratchprofile.

BestPracticesforKidsDIYMedia| 7

OpportunitiesforEducation

InordertomakethemostofDIYmediaplatforms,kidsneedinstruction.Whilemostplatformsprovideintroductorytutorialsontoolsandtechniques,fewhelpusersdevelopthedeeperskillsandcriticalawarenessthatcomplex,meaningfulprojectsrequire:

21. Provide comprehensive and compounding opportunities for education. Children needinstruction for where to begin when using DIY media platforms, but they also needadvancedresourcestodeveloptheirskillsandprojects.

Theplatformswelookedatofferedarangeofeducationalopportunities.Someprovidedwrittenand video tutorials; others offered user-generated tutorials; others still rewarded userswhoengagedineducationalactivitieswithbadgesoraccesstoadditionalfeatures.

Forexample,DIY.orgprovidespatchesinmorethanahundreddifferentcategories,fromactingtorocketbuildingtocartooning.Usersnotonlyreceiveassistancedevelopingnewskills,buttheyalsoearncertificationstodisplayontheirprofiles,thusshowcasingtheirexpertise.

GamestarMechanicrequiresuserstoimprovetheirskillstoaccesscertainareasofthesite.Usersproceed through a set of quests, each ofwhich teaches a technique; after completing a setnumberofquests,usersarerewardedwithprivileges—forexample,theabilitytopublishtheirowngames(seefigure3).

Someplatformsusespecialeventstodevelopusers’skills.Forexample,Storybirdhostsmonthlywritingchallengestoencouragekidstoexperimentwithtechniquessuchaspointofviewandbrevity(seefigure4).Notonlydospecialeventsencourageuserstodevelopnewskills,theyalsohavethebenefitoffacilitatinguserinteraction.

Figure2.DIY.orgrewardsuserswithpatchesfordevelopingnewskills.

BestPracticesforKidsDIYMedia| 8

Figure3.GamestarMechanicquestsallowuserstoearnpublishingprivilegesanddesigntools.

Figure4.Storybird’sOctober2018“AnimalEyes”challengefocusingonthetechniqueof

perspective:originalchallenge(left);roundupoffeaturedsubmissions(right).

Child-FriendlyPrivacyPolicies

UnderlyingthedesignofDIYmediawebsitesaretherulesthatgovernthenationalandglobaldigitalenvironment.Insomecases,DIYmediaopportunitiesarehamperedbytheseregulations.Inothercases,failuretocomplywithregulationputschildrenatrisk:

BestPracticesforKidsDIYMedia| 9

22. ComplywithCOPPAandPIPEDA regulations.Where compliance isnotpossible, lobbygovernments for change rather than contravening regulations. (Recommendations forimprovingregulationsareprovidedinaseparatepolicyrecommendationdocument.)

AlthoughCOPPAandPIPEDAhavebeendesignedtoprotectchildren,ourstudyhasshownthattheir protectionist stance—with its focus on shielding children from digital predators—alsocurtailschildren’sfreedoms:

23. Beawareofhowattemptstoprotectchildrenmayalsolimittheirfreedomofexpression.Find ways to respect children’s rights to share creations, interact with peers, andparticipateindigitalcivicengagement.

InanefforttoadheretoCOPPAandPIPEDAregulations,manyDIYmediasiteserronthesideofcaution,withresultsthatrangefromoverlyrestrictivetodownrightdeceptive:

24. Do not use off-the-shelf or blanket privacy policies coveringmore than the platformprovides. Identifytherelevantnationalandinternationaldataandprivacypoliciesandapplythemappropriately.

25. Inadditiontosecuringparentalconsent(asrequiredbyCOPPA),obtainchildren’sassenttoprivacypolicies.Ifchildrenarebeingaskedtoreadandacceptprivacypolicies,ensurethatthedocumentsarewritten(orsummarized)inage-appropriatelanguage.Developasystemthatrequireschildrentodiscussprivacypolicieswithaparentorguardianbeforeagreeing.

Be transparent about the opportunities that the platform provides. Children should not beexpectedtodiscernwhetherawebsiteofferingDIYmediamakesgoodonitsclaims:

26. Be upfront about the website. Do not position a website as allowing sharing andcollaborationifitis,infact,limitedtoindependentcreation.

CopyrightRegulations

Copyrightconcernsplayaroleinmanyoftheissuesinfluencingchildren’sparticipationonDIYmedia platforms. With respect to creating, children need to be granted (and subsequentlyunderstand) copyright; they also need to be given fair dealing privileges for remixing andmoddingworks—especiallywhentheyarereusingcopyrightmaterial:

27. Determinewhatrightschildrenhaveovertheircreationsandclearlycommunicatetheserightstothem.

28. Treatchildrenascopyrightownersratherthanpotentialcopyrightinfringers.Thefocusoncopyrightmustnotbelimitedtohowitservescorporationsandplatforms.

29. Platformsshouldbedesignedwithanawarenessofhowprotectingcorporatecopyrightmaycurtailchildren’screativity.Childrenareofteninterestedinreusingmaterialunder

BestPracticesforKidsDIYMedia| 10

copyright—for example, using television or book characters or retelling stories—andshouldbepermittedtodosototheextentthatlawsallow.

DIYmediaplatformsshouldallowchildrenthebenefitoffairdealing:

30. Providechildrenwithopportunitiestoaccessandreusecopyrightmaterialaspermittedunder fair dealing. Corporate desires to control their products must not overridechildren’slegalrighttoreusematerial.

Inourworkwithfocusgroups,wediscoveredthatmanychildrendonotfullyunderstandtheconcept of copyright. They do not always see their creations as their property, nor do theyunderstandthelimitsofothers’ownership.DIYmediaplatformshavearoletoplayineducatingchildren about copyright, which starts how the concept is dealt with in terms of serviceagreements:

31. Collaboratewithdevelopersandlawmakersonchild-friendlycopyrightlawsfordigitalDIYmedia creation. Make sure to take account of how fair dealing exceptions apply tochildren.

32. Do not use off-the-shelf or blanket terms of service. Ensure that terms of servicedocumentsarewritten(orsummarized)inage-appropriatelanguage,andthatasystemis in place to require children to discuss the termswith a parent or guardian beforeagreeing.

33. Makesurethattermsofserviceclearlygrantchildrenownershipofandrightsovertheirwork.Providechildrenwithon-platformopportunitiestoengagewithandlearnabouttheirrightsandresponsibilitiesasauthorsandartists.

34. Whereverpossible,promotetheuseofCreativeCommonslicensesforcopyrightofDIYmediacreation.Children’sworkshouldbeprotectedbycopyright,andchildrenshouldbeencouragedtosharetheirowncopyrightmaterialwithotherswhowanttoremixtheircreations.

A goodmodel forproviding childrenwith copyright for theirwork is Scratch,which takes anactivelyopenapproach.ThesiteusesCreativeCommonsShareAlikelicensing,anditexplainsinlaylanguagethatanythinguserspostonthesiteisunderthislicensing,whichmeansanyonecanremixwhatotheruserspost.Therighttoreusematerialisreinforcedthroughtheremixingtreesthat visualize who has remixed what project; this allows users to trace the origins (andsubsequentderivations)oftheirwork(seefigure5).ThesiteremindsuserstocreditothersandtouseCreativeCommons–licensedmaterial.

BestPracticesforKidsDIYMedia| 11

Figure5.TheremixtreeinScratchallowstracingofprojectversionsacrossusers.

AudienceSuitability

Designing for the target audience is central to good design. Remember that DIY mediaopportunities must be geared towards children’s needs. For starters, sites must be age-appropriate:

35. Usekid-friendly,accessibledesignandlanguage.Makesurethatinstructionsandtutorialsaresuitablefortheplatform’stargetageandreadinglevel.

Currently, most terms of service and privacy policies use technical language that is not ageappropriateforchildren.Designersofplatformsthataregearedtowardsorinclusiveofkidshavearesponsibilitytomakechildrenawareoftheirrightsandresponsibilities:

36. Providechild-friendlytermsofserviceandprivacypolicies.Understandingthemeaningandimportanceoftermsofserviceandprivacypolicieswhenusingdigitalmediaispartof children’s civic education. Enticing children into accepting agreements they do notunderstand—orworseyet,willbebreaking—isinappropriate.

Platformsmustengagewithchildrenat theiractualage,notat their stated (orpretend)age.Some platforms allow the participation of, or even knowingly design for, children who areyoungerthanthestatedminimumageforuse:

37. Identifyyourtargetagegroupanddeveloptheplatformwiththeirneedsinmind.Donotrequirechildrentopretendtheyareolderthantheyare.Iftheplatformisdesignedfor

BestPracticesforKidsDIYMedia| 12

childrenunderthirteen,donotmarketitasforolderkidstoevadelegalrequirementsforplatformsforchildren.

38. Wherepossible,removeagebans.Rememberthatchildrenwillfindawayaroundthem;blanketbansonchildrenunderaspecificageareoftenunsustainableandmeaningless.

39. Do not require or entice children to use third-party sites for which they are not oldenough. For example, platforms for children under thirteen should not require aFacebookaccount(forwhichtheminimumageisthirteen)foraccessorsharing.

Because laws become less restrictive as children get older, and because designing age-appropriate resources canbeespecially challenging for the youngestusers, thereare limitedplatformsforDIYmediacreationforlittlechildren:

40. Designopportunities for even the youngest children. Young childrenare interested indigitalDIYmediaandshouldbegivenopportunitiestoengagewithit.

41. When designing age-appropriate platforms, think about improving mechanisms forengagingparents.Asparentalconsentisoftenrequiredforachildtouseanapplication,makesurethattherearesystemstofacilitateparentalinvolvement.

Child-FriendlyDesign

Thebenefitsofkids’DIYmediaplatforms—creative,collaborative,collective,educational,andpersonal—canbemadepossiblebywell-designedresourcescraftedwithchildreninmind:

42. Balanceeaseof use and complexity of opportunity:make sure that sites are easy forchildrentonavigatebutalsocomplexenoughtoprovidefreedomtocreate.

43. Designforyourtargetagegroup.Thismeansnotjustprovidingage-appropriateactivities,butalsoage-appropriateprofiles,modesofcommunicationandinteraction,andtoolsformoderation.

Thepotentialbenefitsofkids’DIYmediaaregreat,andwehopethatmorechildrenwillbeableto enjoy them. To that end,weencouragedesigners tobuildplatforms that are inviting andinclusive:

44. Design for users of multiple ages. Remember that children at different ages will useplatformsindifferentways.Agooddesignshouldprovideopportunitiestochildrenacrossaspectrumofages.

45. Designforusersfrommultipledemographics.Provideopportunitiesthatwillappealnotjusttothecoregroupofchildren’sDIYmediamakers.Lookforwaystomaketheplatformaccessibletoallgendersandallsocio-economicbrackets.

BestPracticesforKidsDIYMedia| 13

46. Designforarangeofuserfrequency.Notalluserswillbeabletoengagewiththeplatformfrequently; reduce barriers to involvement for occasional users or those withoutconsistentaccesstotechnology.

***

Throughoutourresearch,wewerefortunatetohaveregularopportunitiestospeakwithchildrenwhouseDIYmediaplatforms.Theirthoughtsontheplatformstheyusehavebeeninvaluabletoourproject,andtheirenthusiasmfortalkingabouttheprocessofcreationhasbeenunparalleled.If there is oneguidingprinciple, it iswhen indoubt, aska kid. Theusersof kids’DIYmediaplatforms—andtheirparentsorguardians—areideallyplacedtoinformtheplatforms’future:

47. Invite a diverse range of children and their parents or guardians to participate in theconsultativeprocess.Youraudienceisideallyequippedtotellyouwhattheywantandneed.

Acknowledgements

ThisresearchwassupportedbytheSocialSciencesandHumanitiesResearchCouncilofCanada.