We want to reach out to children across the EU so they can participate and share their views and experiences. Digital communication can help us.
It is so important that we are co-creating our website with children as part of our 2023-2024 Work Plan. To make sure that what we are doing will work for kids like you!
Who did we work with?
Over 110 children aged 11-17
- 31 participants at our big Brussels meetings
- 8 members of our Advisory Board
- 6 members of our Website Co-creation Team
- 7 members of our Children's Panel
- 41 students of the Brussels Montgomery International School (EIM)
- 20 members of the Strasbourg 'Conseil des Jeunes'
- + children’s input from workshops at big meetings
Website Co-creation Team
We are thrilled to have six teens from the Bulgarian State Agency for Child Protection, and the Italian Independent Authority for Children and Adolescents as members of the Website Co-creation Team.
Their input is really important to help us better understand children's online needs and expectations.
What did we learn?
Using websites
- Teens did not use main site menus, filters or on-site search very much
- They scrolled and scanned through pages much faster than adults
- They looked for interesting interactions (videos and surveys got their attention)
- When there was a lot of choice, it was harder for them to choose something
Look and feel
- Avoid lots of different neon colours or overuse of images which is confusing
- Make clickable items, important words and action buttons very visible
- Movement or sounds on important actions and clickable items are good
- If content is for different ages, these groupings should be visible
Types of content
- Things to do should be visible, with less written content to begin with
- Interactive content is very important, such as videos, quizzes, surveys, voting etc.
- Wording should be simple, modern and interesting, but not childish
- Children should be involved in the creation of content and digital activities
What did we do?
Using websites
- Created a big translation banner inside the pages that is easier to find
- Simplified page formats to help important information stand out
- Removed content from the homepage to help focus on important items
- Removed text descriptions so the clickable titles are more visible
Look and feel
- Used bigger font sizes, boxes around texts to make actions more visible
- Added a coloured background to the homepage to reduce 'empty white space'
- Using images of real children instead of illustrated characters
- Requests will be made for permission to use different fonts and text colours
Types of content
- Shorter, simpler written content that's easier to read and understand
- Producing more videos, co-created with our child members
- Developing new interactive formats such as quizzes, animated reports
- Ongoing reviews of content approaches and materials by our child members