Too Much of a Good Thing? Challenges to the Effectiveness of Digital Help Resources for Children and Youths

ABSTRACT We investigate the accessibility of adult (professional) support for children encountering adverse online incidents. Emphasising the crucial role of adult intervention in serious cases, we underscore the significance of adults' awareness of children's online experiences. Drawing from the Norwegian context, a state with substantial child protection investment, we examine whether the abundance of support services may inadvertently compromise their primary objective. Our method consists of policy analysis of policy aimed at reducing harm to children in their everyday lives. Considering the stated policy goals, we critically evaluate the effectiveness of current support offerings to children in the digital space. Our findings reveal that despite allocating considerable resources towards child welfare, a gap in effectively supporting children after troubling online experiences remains. We identify several critical omissions in policy implementation, including a lack of focus on digital childhood and on children in vulnerable situations. We conclude that current policy approaches tend to lead to ‘more of the same’ with limited impact on support uptake and thus effectiveness. Consequently, we argue for more proactive and child‐centric approaches integrating children's digital and offline experiences, ensuring effective support that respects children's needs and rights in today's digital era. Finally, we provide suggestions for practical implementation.