Ethical Considerations in Face-to-Face and Internet-Mediated Research with Teenage Populations

Abstract

Research ethics is a critical part of any project but requires special consideration when conducting research with teenagers. Teenagers are deemed a vulnerable group and it is important to thoroughly consider ethical issues when conducting research with teenagers. Due to the proliferation and ease of access of the Internet, Internet-mediated research has become a beneficial modality for collecting data from teenagers in a Human Computer Interaction (HCI) research context. Internet-mediated research is the process of gathering data via web-based technologies directly from research participants. Yet, Internet-mediated research is still in its early stages and the key ethical issues with Internet-mediated research are not immediately obvious. Therefore, this chapter examines key ethical standards for conducting research with teenagers through traditional face-to-face and Internet-mediated methods. The key ethical issues are highlighted and discussed in the context of research with teenage populations. Personal experiences of both face-to-face and Internet-mediated research with teenagers are discussed and reflected upon. This chapter contributes key understandings of ethical issues within the context of HCI research involving teenage participants. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)