o understand young people it is essential to investigate their engagement with mobile
devices. Recent developments in mobile technologies enable young people to collect,
store, distribute and publish a vast array of data types which provide researchers with
a unique opportunity to explore the activity and habits of young people. The data are more
directly attainable than through traditional data collection methods, adding to their authenticity
and verisimilitude. However, this very accessibility raises ethical issues.
This article considers the issues that may arise in research involving youth of high school age
who are not legally regarded as adults. We start by examining basic ethical guidelines and then
discuss areas of research concerning youth mobile use, and the kind of data accessible in such
research. We indicate where such research is subsumed into research regarding young people
and the internet and focus on the ethical issues particular to youth mobile use. The discussion
then finishes with an analysis of questions regarding ethical research on youth mobile use.