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Schrödinger's Cat and Digital Empathy: How Primary School Children Understand and Respond to Others' Feelings in Online Spaces.

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Schrödinger's Cat and Digital Empathy: How Primary School Children Understand and Respond to Others' Feelings in Online Spaces.
Authors: O'Reilly, Michelle (AUTHOR), Levine, Diane (AUTHOR), Adams, Sarah (AUTHOR), Batchelor, Rachel (AUTHOR), Sinclair, Neil (AUTHOR)
Source: Children & Society. May2026, Vol. 40 Issue 3, p417-426. 10p.
Subjects: Empathy, Digital technology, Elementary schools, Qualitative research, Research funding, Internet, Emotions, Thematic analysis, Research, Interpersonal relations, Child behavior, Children
Geographic Terms: United Kingdom
Abstract: Children's digital and physical worlds are increasingly entwined as they build and manage meaningful connections online. Central to this is digital empathy and responsible online conduct, that is, a digital ethics of care. We focus on 10–11‐year‐old children from a primary school in the UK, exploring how they conceptualise and understand the feelings and behaviours of others. Children interviewed each other in pairs (N = 18) following school‐based education regarding interviewing skills. Thematic analysis illustrated three themes related to digital empathy and interpretation focused on the discussion of an imaginary experiment of Schrödinger's cat, as an analogy for digital empathy. This analogy encompassed a finding that in digital environments, consequences of negative behaviours for others are challenging to discern, in terms of effect and affect. The findings have implications for our understanding of digital empathy and the challenge of teaching children responsible conduct online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
Description
Abstract:Children's digital and physical worlds are increasingly entwined as they build and manage meaningful connections online. Central to this is digital empathy and responsible online conduct, that is, a digital ethics of care. We focus on 10–11‐year‐old children from a primary school in the UK, exploring how they conceptualise and understand the feelings and behaviours of others. Children interviewed each other in pairs (N = 18) following school‐based education regarding interviewing skills. Thematic analysis illustrated three themes related to digital empathy and interpretation focused on the discussion of an imaginary experiment of Schrödinger's cat, as an analogy for digital empathy. This analogy encompassed a finding that in digital environments, consequences of negative behaviours for others are challenging to discern, in terms of effect and affect. The findings have implications for our understanding of digital empathy and the challenge of teaching children responsible conduct online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:09510605
DOI:10.1111/chso.12992