As the role of children in society becomes more prominent, their participation in research seems set to increase. In this paper we review whether we are getting the ethics of children's research right. We show that, since the late 1980s, children have been treated universally as a special case and that they have been accorded their own special set of human rights (UNCRC), which primarily grants them rights to protection and participation. We go on to argue (with practical examples) that the core MRS research principles of well-being, voluntary informed consent and privacy/confidentiality must be applied to children with particular caution and care. We note that, as research with children grows and as new techniques are developed, we are presented with fresh challenges for keeping children safe and maintaining their trust. We end by presenting the results of a survey that sought children's views on being research participants in a quite sensitive piece of research. We found that children are highly appreciative of being consulted about their lives in general and being asked about their feelings. However we also found that some children can be uncomfortable with some of the issues raised and can feel compelled to answer the questions. We conclude that, while we have good industry codes, ethics evolves with shifting social, political and cultural patterns, and we need to keep challenging ourselves to maintain best practice.

This paper considers 10-14 year olds' adoption of digital technology, and the way in which the developmental tasks of early adolescence are played out within their everyday lives through their widespread interaction with digital media, considering both the social and the psychological processes that take place. It reflects on the concerns that have been expressed about children's use of digital social networking, but also looks at the benefits to children of using the media, and the implications for policymaking.

Stresses the importance of examining the changes that children go through in moving from “tweenagers” of eight to 12 years to the more difficult stage of teenagers, and also that teenager characteristics change between generations. Outlines some of these changes and concerns, and characteristics of teenagers such as daydreaming, the search for identity, and the high degree of techno‐literacy and communication skills ‐ featuring for example mobile phones. Describes a research study carried out for the Carphone Warehouse by Kids and Youth: this compared parents’ and teenagers’ views on why teenagers would contact a helpline, and other issues concerned with communication between teenagers and their parents. Observes that teenagers are not only consulted by their parents on marketing decisions over products like the internet and mobile phones, but they are becoming more altruistic and politically involved compared to earlier generations.

The review of this area posited the notion of ‘the supportive school’ as important and one key element, the notion of school connectedness. Within that the role of relationships is identified as significant. This paper explores the part played by relationships in schools. The paper draws on a review of 133 papers published mainly in the last 15 years. Relationships between teachers and pupils and pupils’ peer relationships are identified as the key ones. The main ways in which school-based relationships impact upon mental health are explored. First, in terms of the relationship to academic outcomes; second, the relationship between social support, feelings of emotional well-being or distress, and teacher-pupil relationships; and finally the relationship between school connectedness and mental health outcomes. The authors argue for greater attention to be paid to the interconnections between the relationships with young people and their emotional and academic well-being. The paper concludes with the implications for schools and teachers of these findings and an argument for an acknowledgement of the importance of the social goals of education.