Annual ICA Conference Australia

We are delighted to announce that our postdoctoral researcher, Dr. Ingrida Milkaite, presented the research from the Law & Technology research group at the 74th Annual ICA Conference and the pre-conference titled “Amplifying Youth Participation: Engaging Children and Young People in Media and Communications Research” in Gold Coast, Australia.

The 74th Annual International Communication Association (ICA) Conference, held in late June, gathered more than 4,000 academics and publishers from around the globe. The conference, themed ‘Communication and Global Human Rights,’ served as a hub for experts in communication, media, journalism, and technology-related fields.

Prior to the conference, Dr. Milkaite presented the participatory research carried out with Prof. Dr. Eva Lievens and Dr. Valerie Verdoodt at the Law & Technology research group at the pre-conference event aimed at fostering engaging discussions on the involvement of children and adolescents in media and communications research. This event attracted over 30 attendees, including world experts who explored the principles and practices behind meaningful child participation.

Dr. Milkaite also visited the Young & Resilient Research Centre at Western Sydney University in New South Wales where the Centre launched a new seminar series, with the inaugural event held on June 18th at the Parramatta South Campus of Western Sydney University. This series featured presentations from international fellows, including Prof. Dr. Jessica Taylor Piotrowski from the University of Amsterdam and Dr. Ingrida Milkaite from Ghent University. Ingrida presented the research on the use of voice assistance technology by children in domestic and educational settings across Belgium, also highlighting their growing adoption in the Netherlands, the US, and Australia and its potential impact on children’s rights. During the seminar, chaired by Young and Resilient Co-director, Professor Amanda Third, discussions encompassed the growing influence of artificial intelligence, digital rights, and digital wellbeing, among other crucial topics.

These presentations and engagements underscore the Law & Technology research group’s commitment to exploring and addressing contemporary issues at the intersection of law, technology, and society.