Ontologies of risk in research with young people

Interrogating research practices and de-centring ‘risk’ in youth digital media research

Bibliographic Data

ID22417463
AuthorsBenjamin Hanckel (0000-0002-4324-9733, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University, corresponding author), N A Hendry (0000-0002-2591-420X, The University of Melbourne)
Year2026
Publication date2026-07-09
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0951-8398 • E-ISSN: 1366-5898
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09518398.2026.2698426
OpenAlexW7167838525
LanguageEN
References cited59

Research practices can be framed by ontologies that position the very people and practices we aim to make sense of (and with) in our research. Research examining young people’s digital media experiences can often start from positions of risk that conflate marginality, risk, harm and vulnerability. We question this framing, examining how risk emerges in research practices. Focused on digital research, where new (and older) forms of risk have (re)emerged, we interrogate research practices that centre risk in youth lives. We argue practice theory and its development in media studies offers tools to de-centre risk. Drawing on two case studies we show how research practices are embedded within research infrastructures that situate youth as risky, conflating risk, media and harm, obscuring broader practices and situated experiences of risk. We provide a ‘toolkit’ to locate how and when ontologies of risk slip into research projects, and how we might disrupt such framing.

Best practice · Conflation · Digital media · Harm · Ontology · Qualitative research · Situated · Social media · Children's Rights and Participation · Social Media and Politics · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access