Privacy notice for children and young people: Focus Groups

This study is part of the research to understand views and experiences of cyberbullying among children and young people in the UK. 

About this privacy notice

The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) is inviting you to take part in some research about cyberbullying in the UK. The research involves us talking to young people like you, as well as adults who work with young people, to hear their views and experiences on this topic. We have been asked to do this research by Ofcom.

We are doing this research with the help of City University of London, the Diana Award and Anti-Bullying Alliance.

What is a Privacy Notice?

A privacy notice explains how your personal information will be collected and used if you choose to take part in this research.

What information will you collect?

During this research, we will ask you about your views about cyberbullying. This will be during a small group discussion at your school, led by someone who works at NatCen, with up to four other young people of a similar age and gender. We would like to audio record this group discussion, so we have an accurate record of what is said.

After the group discussion, we will also ask your permission to ask two more questions about you using a tick-box form. This includes information about your ethnicity and health, which is called special category data.

You do not have to share this information with us if you do not want to. We will only collect it with your ‘explicit consent’. This means we will only collect this data if you tell us it is OK to do so.

Who will see your data?

We follow the rules of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This means we will keep the information about you safe. NatCen have to look after the information you give us. This means we are called the ‘Data Controller’.

We will share the audio recording of the group discussion you take part in with an organisation called McGowan Transcriptions. They will listen to the recording and write down what was said – this is called a ‘transcript’. McGowan Transcriptions will give this transcript to NatCen. We will not share the recording of the group discussion or the transcript with anyone else.

Only researchers at NatCen will have access to any special category data that you give to us. We will not share this information with anyone else.

How will my information be used?

NatCen will write a report on what we find through doing this research. We may also write blogs and short summaries based on what we find. The report, blogs and summaries will be available online. We will not use your name or any other information that would mean someone else could recognise you.

Will I have access to my data?

Yes. If you would like to access your data, you can contact us at cyberbullying@natcen.ac.uk or 0808 168 2791.

Can I change my mind?

You can change your mind about taking part in a group at any point before the conversation starts, and you don’t need to give us a reason if you decide not to go ahead.

If you decide you don’t want us to use any special category data you provide at the end of the group discussion, you can contact the research team to let us know. You can change your mind at any time up until 30th June 2023.

Who can I contact with a query or a complaint?

If you have any questions, you can contact us at cyberbullying@natcen.ac.uk or 0808 168 2791.

You can also contact the NatCen Data Protection Officer at dpo@natcen.ac.uk.

If you want to make a complaint about NatCen or the way the research was run you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office on 0303 123 1113, at https://ico.org.uk/concerns, or at Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.