The impact of mobile phones on young people's lives and life chances in sub-Saharan Africa: a three country study to inform policy and practice

这项研究以信息通信技术与发展为主题，探讨了移动电话对非洲年轻人的生活、生活机会和福祉的影响。移动电话技术的迅速普及提供了令人兴奋的发展潜力，但对可能对穷人产生负面影响的担忧也在增加。我们的目标是提供一个实质性的证据基础，以显示手机使用如何影响三个国家（加纳，马拉维，南非）9-25岁的年轻人。采用以儿童为中心的混合方法，我们将能够审查对教育、卫生、社会网络、求职、就业、参与社会运动和政治进程、代际关系、以虚拟流动代替实际流动和移徙的影响，并探讨对贫穷轨迹的更广泛影响（注意性别、家庭组成和地点对结果的影响）。我们将在之前2006- 2008年在加纳、马拉维和南非的24个地点进行的以儿童为中心的混合方法儿童流动性研究的基础上进行研究，其中包括70名11-19岁的年轻人作为共同研究人员（例如Hampshire等人，2011a, 2011b； Porter等人，2010a-e, 2011a-c in press； Robson等人，2009）。该研究主要关注9-18岁青少年的日常身体活动能力，但也指出，年轻人使用手机的人数正在迅速增加，手机在调节身体活动能力方面具有潜力。因此，我们收集了关于电话使用的初步定性数据和基线定量数据（N= 2967）（频率、所有权、目的、性别、年龄、家庭组成）以及相关背景材料。我们将在2012-14年重复2006-8年的研究方法，在相同的实地地点（尽管不一定是相同的受访者）。方法包括与年轻人、他们的父母、老师和其他关键信息提供者进行深入访谈和小组讨论，并在每个国家两个农业生态区的四种不同定居类型（城市、城郊、农村和偏远农村）进行问卷调查。通过在相同地点的重复调查和详细的定性研究，我们将能够构建一个独特的比较数据集，以了解2006-8年至2012-14年（采用和空间渗透快速扩张的关键6年期间）非洲青年手机使用模式的变化。我们还将扩大2012-14年的研究重点，a)也包括那些年龄在19-25岁的人，即我们的年龄较大的队列，6年来，捕捉不断变化的使用情况及其影响，因为这个年龄段的许多人进入了20多岁，b)对手机在年轻人生活中的作用和影响进行更深入的研究。新的主题将包括在求职、就业、教育、保健、政治参与、汇款、宽带电话互联网接入、故意不使用移动电话和使用移动电话对增强权能的影响（实际和感知的潜力）、个人网络（例如空间紧张的家庭）、网络发展、监测、代际关系、移徙、替代身体（包括运动）流动性、剥削/欺凌和地位问题。这将提供一个强有力的证据基础，使我们能够确定有助于促进移动电话采用的积极因素和最小化潜在负面影响的战略，并使整个非洲的政策制定者和从业者对这些发现更加敏感。在整个过程中，我们将采取以青年为中心的参与式方法，与年轻人作为共同合作者（就像我们在2006-8年所做的那样），即包括在2006-8年儿童流动研究中接受培训的（70）名儿童研究人员中的年轻人（当时正在上学，现在有些人失业）。在可能的情况下，他们将参加实地研究（特别是实地试点）、国别合作小组和最后审查讲习班。还将聘用20多岁的学术研究助理（研究生）。”

This research, focused on the theme ICTs and development, examines the impact of mobile phones on young people's lives, life chances and well-being in Africa. The rapid diffusion of mobile phone technology offers exciting developmental potential, but concerns about possible negative impacts on poor people are growing. We aim to provide a substantial evidence base to show how mobile phone use is impacting on young people aged 9-25 years in three countries (Ghana, Malawi, South Africa). Utilising a mixed-method, child-centred approach, we will be able to examine impacts on education, health, social networks, job search, employment, participation in social movements and the political process, inter-generational relations, substitution of virtual for physical mobility and migration, and explore the broader implications for poverty trajectories (paying attention to effects of gender, household composition and location on outcomes). We will build on our previous mixed-method, child-centred, child mobility research in 24 sites across Ghana, Malawi and South Africa in 2006-8 which included 70 young people aged 11-19 as co-researchers (e.g. Hampshire et al. 2011a, 2011b; Porter et al., 2010a-e, 2011a-c in press; Robson et al., 2009). That study focused principally on daily physical mobility of 9-18 year olds, but indicated rapidly growing mobile phone adoption by young people and the potential of mobile phones to mediate physical mobility. Consequently, we collected preliminary qualitative data and baseline quantitative data (N=2,967) on phone usage (frequency, ownership, purpose; by gender, age, household composition), and associated background material. We will repeat our 2006-8 study approach in 2012-14, in the same field sites (though not necessarily with the same respondents). Methods include in-depth interviews and group discussions with young people, their parents, teachers and other key informants, and a questionnaire survey in four different settlement types (urban, peri-urban, rural and remote rural) in two agro-ecological zones per country. Through repeat survey and detailed qualitative research in the same sites we will be able to construct a unique comparative dataset on changing patterns of youth phone usage in Africa between 2006-8 and 2012-14 (a critical 6 year period of rapid expansion in adoption and spatial penetration). We will also extend the research focus in 2012-14, a) to also include those aged 19-25 i.e. our older cohort, 6 years on, to capture changing usage and its impacts as many in this age group move into their 20s, and b) to include much more intensive research on the role and impact of mobile phones in young lives. New themes will include use of mobile phones in job search, employment, education, health, political participation, money transfer, broad-band phone internet access, deliberate mobile phone non-use and impacts of usage on empowerment (actual and perceived potential), personal networks (e.g re spatially stretched households), network development, surveillance, inter-generational relations, migration, substitution for physical (including motor) mobility, exploitation/bullying and status issues. This will provide a strong evidence base, enabling us to identify strategies which can help promote the positive elements of mobile phone adoption and minimise potentially negative impacts and to sensitise policy makers and practitioners to these findings across Africa. Throughout, we will take a youth-centred participatory approach, working with young people as co-collaborators (as we did in 2006-8), i.e. including young people (then school-going, now in some cases unemployed) who were among the (70) child researchers trained in the child mobility study in 2006-8. Where available, they will participate in field studies (particularly field pilots), CCGs and the final review workshop. We will also employ academic research assistants (post-graduate students) in their 20s.