University of Tasmania, Australia

This research project is a joint endeavor between three main people at the University of Tasmania.

• Chief Investigator - Dr Sonya Stanford
• Co-Investigator - Dr Anthea Vreugdenhil
• Researcher - Kate Warren

What's it all about?

There has been lots of discussion in the media recently about young people's use of the internet. People have been talking about, for example, how young people could be at risk of cyber-bullying or predatory behaviour. However, there hasn't been a lot of input from young people into this discussion and there hasn't been much consideration of how young people are able to take care of themselves online in places like Facebook. The purpose of this study is to give young people a chance to tell their stories about how they manage risk and safety online when using social media like Facebook. My name is Kate Warren and I am doing this research as a part of my PhD that I am doing at the University of Tasmania.

Why me?

If you are:

• aged 15-18 years old;
• currently have a Facebook account; and
• live in Australia

then you could participate in this study. It would be great if you could! It is your choice, however. Participation is voluntary. If you decide to participate and then change your mind, well, that's ok - you can withdraw anytime without providing any reason and nothing bad will happen; I'll just think you made a good decision for yourself. It is possible that you might feel distressed if you share any negative online experiences – if this happens you and I can talk about it about work out how to make you feel more comfortable. If you are thinking about participating, you might want to talk with a trusted adult or friend about your decision.

What do I have to do?

• Firstly, check out all of the information about the research project available on this page.
• If you would like to participate simply send me a friend request on Facebook.
• You will find me under my name Kate Warren at https://www.facebook.com/katemwarren.
• Once we are friends, you can be involved in the project.
• Check out my ‘wall' and see what other people are saying.
• If you have something to say – say it! I want to hear what you think about young people's risk and safety online, so let me know. You are welcome to post to the wall as little or as much as you want.
• If someone else says something you agree with or disagree with then let us know by posting underneath their comment.
• Sometimes I will make posts myself, so feel free to comment on those too!
• This research page will be active until the end of the project: March 2013. You can keep me as a ‘friend' right up until then or you might decide that we are ‘friends' for a shorter period of time. It's up to you. If you keep me as a ‘friend' you will be able to find out information on the findings of the project.

How private is the information I give?

All individual contact between you and me will be kept confidential. For example, if you send me an email to get more information on something, I will not share this with anyone else.

The ‘wall' on this research page is open to all other young people who are on my friends list. Therefore any wall posts that you make will be able to be seen by others along with your profile picture. You are in control of what you do and do not share on this wall. You do not need to share anything you would like to keep private or feel uncomfortable sharing.

I do encourage you to consider keeping your contact details private from other participants. Please remember that if you make a wall post, other participants are able to click on your name which directs them to your profile. The amount of information they will have access to depends on what your privacy settings are. If you wish to limit the amount of information that people who are not on your friends list can see, you can do so in your privacy settings. I also encourage you to consider keeping any information about illegal activities to yourself. If you do share such information I will need to pass this onto the police. Remember it is up to you what share and what you keep to yourselves.

If you make a wall post and then change your mind, please simply remove it from the ‘wall'. You can do this by clicking on the cross symbol to the right of your comment. As a part of the research the wall posts will be recorded and saved electronically. I will also see how you use Facebook more generally.

Once this information is collected, it will be treated in a confidential way. Your name and your ‘friends' names will be deleted from all information that is downloaded. This information will be kept on a password protected computer; I am the only person that has access to this computer. At the end of the project all information will be deleted from the computer but it needs to be kept for five years in a locked filing cabinet within the University of Tasmania School of Sociology and Social Work in Launceston. The information will be destroyed after five years.

Can I stop being involved if I want to?

Your participation in the project is completely voluntary. This means that you are free to stop being involved at any time and you do not need to give any reason. Simply delete me from your friend list.

Can I find out about the findings of the project?

A summary of the research findings will be uploaded to this University research page.

What if I have questions?

You can email me at Kate.Warren@utas.edu.au

If you'd rather chat to a Uni staff member about the project you can email Sonya.Stanford@utas.edu.au or Anthea.Vreugdenhil@utas.edu.au

What do I have to do?

• Firstly, check out all of the information about the research project available on this page and on the research website https://www.facebook.com/katemwarren.
• If you would like to be involved in the email interviews then send me an email on Facebook to let me know.
• I will reply to this message and we can then begin the interview process. Interviews will be conducted through the email function within Facebook and will be a private discussion between you and me only.
• Before we begin the interview process you will need to read the consent form for stage two of the project. If you wish to participate you will then need to email this form to me with the words ‘I agree' in the subject box.
• In the email interview I will ask you general questions about your experiences of using Facebook. This will require a series of emails to be sent over a period of time between us. Approximately ten emails will be sent to you, although this number may be decreased or increased based on what you would like to talk about and the time you have.

How private is the information I give?

All individual contact between you and me will be kept confidential. All interviews will be completed by me. Any emails that you send will be received by me and no one else will have access to this information.

You are in control of what you do and do not share in these emails. You do not need to share anything you would like to keep private or feel uncomfortable sharing. I also encourage you to consider keeping any information about illegal activities to yourself. If you do share such information I will need to pass this onto the police. Remember it is up to you what share and what you keep to yourselves.

The emails we exchange will be saved electronically. Once this information is collected, it will be treated in a confidential way. Your name will be deleted from all information that is downloaded. This information will be kept on a password protected computer; I am the only person that has access to this computer. At the end of the project all information will be deleted from the computer but it needs to be kept for five years in a locked filing cabinet within the University of Tasmania School of Sociology and Social Work in Launceston. The information will be destroyed after five years.

I am sure you are already aware of how to look after yourself when using a computer. However, here are some short tips to remember while you are online:

• Maintain a good posture – Try to sit up straight and not slouch. Have your back and feet fully supported; shoulders relaxed; hands, wrists and forearms are straight, in-line and roughly parallel to the floor.
• Adjust your monitor - The preferred distance between your eye and the computer screen is between 50 and 100 cm.
• Rest your eyes – Regularly look at far-away objects. For example, look at a clock or poster on the wall that is away from your computer desk for a few minutes. Stop, look away and blink often to rest your eyes.
• Stretch once an hour – Try not to sit in the one position for too long. Stretch your fingers, arms, hands, and body often.
• Have a break! - Get up and take a walk. Pour yourself a glass of water. Take a break to call a friend.

If you feel that you might need some sort of support then you might want to check out the following websites.

• Kids Help Line - FREECALL 1800 55 1800
• Lifeline - 131114 (24 hours – local call cost)
• Daily Strength – Health support and information
• Headspace – National Youth Mental Health Foundation
• Make A Noise – Youth based information
• Reach Out! – Youth based support and information
• Somazone – Youth help and support

• Consenting to becoming a 'friend' of the research (PDF131.9KB)
• Consenting to Email Interviews on Facebook (Word 30.0KB)