03 Sep 10

Generation Net: the rise of the tweeny bloggers

Trainee Comms Planner Jade McKerracher looks at the rise of the 'tweeny blogger' generation and its implications for a digital future.

It’s hardly a revelation that young people spend a lot of time online...but tweeny bloggers?

This is the term given to the growing number of child bloggers, sharing their views on a range of topics from new toys to politics. The communications watchdog Ofcom recently found that 2% of 8-11 year olds have created a blog and nearly 20% would like to do so. Quality newspapers like The Independent have picked up on the trend, giving examples like 8-year-old Sonny To, who blogs on anything and everything from new toys to cereals. Examples like this one highlight a growing trend which flies in the face of a recent report from the Pew Research Center, which claims that blogging has lost its appeal to the younger consumer in the online market.

On the plus side, the tweeny bloggers claim that blogging has improved their writing skills and given them more confidence in using online space. In a digital age where the internet and related technologies are so widespread, it is encouraging that we are raising a generation of techno-savvy children for whom blogging can be an outlet for creativity.
Of course, there are always concerns about children’s online presence. Leading criminologist Mark Williams-Thomas is justifiably cautious: “When children use the internet in a daily capacity, they need to be aware that any information is in the public domain...It’s easy to be a victim of bullying and threatening comments”.

My personal view sits somewhere in between. I find it encouraging that young children are becoming increasingly adept at using digital technology – this should equip them for a digital future and give them the skills they need to flourish. However, this is not to ignore or dismiss the security fears surrounding children’s use of the internet. Safeguards are necessary and important. But perhaps as our technical and digital capabilities become more advanced, we can simultaneously make progress in improving the security and safety measures for online users, especially the more vulnerable tweeny bloggers.