Comparing media coverage of online risks for children in southern European countries: Italy, Portugal and Spain

Children's risks associated with the Internet and online technologies have been given great emphasis in media discourses across Europe. Perceptions and representations of online risks seem to be socially and culturally shaped, being rather different from one country to another. This article provides a comparative analysis of the press coverage of online risks in three European countries: Italy, Portugal and Spain. Being southern and Latin countries, they share some patterns and trends that may have a bearing on social attitudes towards the issue of children and new media. Through a focus on contextual factors, on one hand, and on the news media, on the other, the comparative analysis concludes that the three countries share relevant similarities but also present differences in the ways their national media systems represent childhood online.