Consulting children during COVID-19: managing research ethics on Zoom

Everyday life became digital by default during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the importance of digital infrastructures in our daily lives and public participation (Livingstone, 2021). To examine experiences of children’s play in a digital world, the UK-based Digital Futures Commission undertook a public consultation during spring 2021 with children and young people, parents and caregivers, and professionals working with children. By deliberating the qualities of free play (Cowan, 2020) and how these are facilitated or undermined by features of the digital environment, the consultation realised children’s right to participation by involving them in generating recommendations for ‘Playful by Design’ (Livingstone et al., 2021)