Motivating children and young people to take part in online surveys can be difficult, even for those who design products or services aimed at children. There are several issues for those wishing to collect the opinions of young people to bear in mind. Among other things, you must be clear about what the survey or consultation is about, and how the information will be used. The UK Council for Child Internet Safety provides guidelines for children’s safety online in order to help both children and providers do the right thing, and governing bodies in other countries can offer similar advice.
The BBC Trust are currently running a survey to consult with adults and 6-12 year olds on its children’s services, and have found some clever ways to make the survey not only engaging, but also safe for participants.
As privacy and ethical concerns are paramount when engaging with children the consultation does not ask for any personal information. The Trust also adapted its survey to appeal to its audience by using child-friendly copy and the inviting use of colour and pictures. (If it’s of interest, we’ve written detailed instructions about how to create colourful headers in this knowledge base article.)
A sister consultation for parents and carers is running concurrently with the one aimed at youngsters, and it’s hoped that they will be able to encourage and help their children to participate in the survey.
