Best Content for KidsEuropean Award

***Please note: The European Award for Best Content for Kids has now closed and the winners have received their awards from Vice-President Neelie Kroes on Safer Internet Day 2014 – see details of the winning entries here.***

 

The Jury 

The European Jury met in Brussels on January 7th, 2014, to select the winners of the Best Content Award. The members of the jury were: Sonia Livingstone (UK, Chair), Axenia Boneva (BG), Eline Kwantes (NL), Meral Akin-Hecke (AT), Martin Schmalzried (BE) and Georges Kremer (youth representative, LU).

Bios of the members of the European jury

Sonia Livingstone (chair) is a full professor in the Department of Media and communications at LSE. She teaches master's courses in media and communications theory, methods, and audiences, and supervises doctoral students researching questions of audience, publics and users in the changing media landscape. She is author or editor of eighteen books and many academic articles and chapters. She has been visiting professor at the Universities of Bergen, Copenhagen, Harvard, Illinois, Milan, Paris II, and Stockholm, and is on the editorial board of several leading journals. She is past President of the International Communication Association, ICA. Sonia was awarded the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2014 'for services to children and child internet safety.'

She directs the 33-country network, EU Kids Online, funded by the EC's Safer Internet Programme. She also directs The Class, within the MacArthur Foundation-funded Connected Learning Research Network. She participates in the European COST action,Transforming Audiences, Transforming Societies, leads ECREA's Children, Youth and Media group and blogs for the LSE Media Policy Project.

Axenia Boneva has a background in French and Bulgarian language, and has been involved in production and creation of audiovisual programs for children both in Bulgaria and in the French-speaking world. She hosts a great interest towards digital/audiovisual policy on the EU level, and demonstrates this as a member of working groups related to audiovisuals/ safer internet / media education for both the European Commission and the Council of Europe. She is also a member of the board of PEGI.

Eline Kwantes is the managing partner of Blooming Digital BV and Dromenkroon, which aims at increasing quality and applicability of the digital aspect in children’s media.  Ms. Kwantes is passionate about media and education, as well as the constant challenge the speed of digital media provides, and has been involved as a judge in the “Gouden Apenstaart” and “Media Ukkie Award” (best children’s’ content prizes in the Netherlands).

 

Meral Akin-Hecke has been appointed Digital Champion Austria in June 2013. Digital Champions are ambassadors for the EU Digital Agenda, appointed by their Members States to help every European become digital.

After studying Business Informatics at the Technical University Vienna Meral Akin-Hecke started her career as software consultant at SAP and went on at the Austrian Broadcasting Company ORF.

In 2007 she initiated the non-profit platform Digitalks bringing digital skills and social media know-how to a mainstream audience. Besides the non-profit initiative Digitalks she works as a media and management consultant and accompanies businesses at their first steps in social media. She is one of the Executive Board Members of Open Knowledge Foundation Austria and supports the idea of an „open society“.

http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/austria-0

http://www.digitalks.at

 

Martin Schmalzried is Policy Officer at COFACE (Confederation of Families Associations in the European Union) in charge of sustainable Development, Education and ICT policies since 2009. Martin is also Alternate Member at European Economic and Social Committee.

 

 

 

Georges Kremer is currently the Vice-president of the Student's committee in the School he goes to. He has taken part as a Jury member in the international Festival for audiovisual programs in Biarritz and has also worked as a youth panelist at the Safer Internet Forum 2013. 

 

Criteria for judges

Target group and age-appropriateness

• Target group or age range is transparent and comprehensible.
• The cognitive development of the target group (physical and mental skills, emotions) is taken into account regarding content, design and navigation.
• The content is understandable for the target group.
• Information for parents is provided, especially when the target group is young children.

• The content is presented in an attractive way to the target group through use of creative, interactive, innovative, entertaining and/or educational features.
• The visuals are of high quality, properly attributed and labelled.
• The language used is well written, without mistakes and suitable for the target group.
• Positive online interaction and/or offline interaction with peers and family is stimulated.

• The navigation structure is user friendly and adapted to the target group. Users do not get lost within the site: they always know where they are.
• The URL is easy and simple to reach. Typo-errors will not land the children in unwanted or harmful domains filled with viruses and advertising.
• The design of the content channel facilitates navigation and enables children to easily find their way through the content/site.
• The content is accessible through different platforms and devices (browsers, mobile devices etc.).

• Specific rules and security information on how to use the services safely are offered (i.e. guidance on netiquette while communicating with others, protection of personal data, protection against cyberbullying etc.).
• Parental consent is asked for if registration is required.
• Easy to use and find reporting mechanisms are provided (i.e. an alarm button, in case children need help or advice or need to report potentially harmful content or contact).
• Constant and active monitoring and moderation of user contributions ensures that all content that may be harmful to children is deleted.

• Commercial elements, advertising and online shopping facilities are clearly set apart from the content, easily recognisable, labelled as such and not age-inappropriate to the target group (e.g. no advertising or shopping for alcohol or cigarettes).
• Commercial elements do not restrict the user’s control of actions.
• There is a financial limit to what children can spend on the site or in the game.
• The commercial proposition is openly communicated.
• Payment methods require parental control.

• The content is not harmful to minors: it does not contain offensive material or other harmful elements (i.e. pornography, racist/violent/offending content, pictures or videos).
• Children are not directed to other unsuitable content such as external websites with content that is not appropriate for children.

• Information about the provider/creator is offered.
• Contact details are easily accessible, in order to enable parents or children to get in touch in case of problems.
• The content does not infringe on the copyright of others.

• Privacy laws are respected.
  • No more data than necessary is gathered.
  • Personal data is treated confidentially, exceptions (i.e. for the purpose of delivering a prize) are made transparent and it is stated clearly that the data is deleted afterwards.
  • Information about privacy measures and policies are clearly visible and in a language suitable for the target group and his/her parents.
  • If the data of visitors is processed while using the site, this should be made transparent.
• If children can share their personal data, they have to actively confirm parental consent.