Professor Amanda Third's Featured Presentation at The Asian Conference on Cultural Studies 2015, Children’s Rights in the Digital Age - Thinking Human Rights Beyond Citizenship and the Nation-State, explored the implications for human rights and children’s rights, as both a theoretical concept and a field of practice, in the era of connectivity.
In this follow up interview to her Featured Presentation Professor Third discusses her research on digital issues and the impact new technologies are having on children. She explains the challenges societies face as children are exposed to new technologies and how to respect their needs while also keeping them safe.
Professor Amanda Third
Associate Professor Amanda Third (PhD) is Principal Research Fellow in Digital Social and Cultural Research in the Institute for Culture and Society at the University of Western Sydney, Australia. Amanda’s research focuses on the socio-cultural dimensions of young people’s technology use, with particular emphases on the intergenerational dynamics shaping technology practice, and vulnerable young people’s technological engagements. Since 2010, Amanda has led Research Program 2: ‘Connected and Creative’, of the Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre, which unites young people with researchers, practitioners, innovators and policy-makers from over 75 partner organisations across the not-for-profit, academic, government and corporate sectors to explore the role of technology in young people’s lives, and how technology can be used to improve the mental health and wellbeing of young people aged 12 to 25. The research program Amanda leads investigates how to better connect vulnerable young people with their communities by enhancing and leveraging their technology practices and their creative engagements. She is also Chief Investigator on an Australian Research Council Industry Linkage project entitled “Young People, Technology and Wellbeing Research Facility” that examines cross-sector knowledge brokering practices. She has been a member of the Australian-based ‘Technology and Wellbeing Cross-Sector Roundtable’ since 2008.
