CALL FOR PAPERS
Digital Childhood
Submission Deadline: 10 May, 2026
Issue Editors: Asst. Prof. Gülden Demir, Assoc. Prof. Gülsün Bozkurt
The Journal of Media Literacy Studies, Turkey’s first academic journal dedicated to the theme of media literacy, continues its scholarly activities with the aim of publishing research that addresses themes directly influencing everyday life, including children and media, family and media, media analysis, digital games, digitalization and ethics, digitalization and law, and media literacy education.
Within this framework, the dossier theme of the eighth issue, to be published in June 2026, has been designated as “Digital Childhood.” Digital technologies have become one of the most powerful social dynamics reshaping the boundaries of childhood. From children’s biological development and psychosocial well-being to their modes of play and processes of accessing information; from the reorganization of developmental stages to social relationships and practices of identity construction, numerous dimensions of childhood are now being reshaped under the conditions of digital ecosystems. In such a period, researching and understanding childhood, as well as constructing life spaces in which children can grow safely, requires drawing upon the accumulated knowledge of multiple disciplines.
The digital environment produces both new opportunities and new vulnerabilities for children. Alongside opportunities for learning, creativity, and participation, structural issues such as privacy violations, digital commercialization, misinformation, algorithmic visibility challenges, and unequal access occupy a central place in contemporary debates on childhood. Based on these considerations, the theme of the eighth issue to be published in June 2026 has been determined as “Digital Childhood.”
As an academic periodical that aims to address research and education together -without neglecting current developments and emerging literacy approaches in both their theoretical and practical dimensions- the Journal of Media Literacy Studies invites researchers, educators, policymakers, and media and communication professionals working on digital childhood to examine digital life spaces from a child-centered and multidimensional perspective. In addition to the specified sub-themes, other topics focusing on digital childhood that complement these themes are also within the scope of this call for papers.
Subthemes of the Digital Childhood Issue:
- Childhood, Developmental Stages, and Developmental Studies
- Digital Childhood and Emerging Understandings of Childhood
- Digital Childhood and Emerging Childhood Cultures
- New Forms of Childhood in the Digital Age
- Children’s Rights and Rights-Based Approaches in the Digital Environment
- Digital Well-Being and Childhood
- Children’s Digital Well-Being
- Evolving Digital Competencies and Children’s Digital Agency/Autonomy
- Age-Appropriate Design in Digital Environments
- Age Limit Debates in Digital Policy
- Age Verification and Access Management in Digital Services
- Digital Platforms and Children’s User Experiences
- Digital Skills and Children’s Media Literacy
- Online Content Flows, Algorithmic Visibility, and Children
- Children’s Personal Data, Privacy, and the Digital Economy
- Digital Inequalities and Children’s Forms of Participation and Inclusion
- Impact Assessments for Child-Centered Digital Service Design (including CRIAs)
- Child Protection and Safety in Digital Environments
- Child-Centered and Child-Friendly Digital Policy and Regulation
We invite scholars to contribute research articles and review papers to the eighth issue of the Journal of Media Literacy Studies, to be published in June 2026.
Manuscripts and review papers may be submitted via https://medyaokuryazari.org. For further information or inquiries, please contact us at bilgi@medyaokuryazari.org or dergi@medyaokuryazari.org.
