Research summary/Blog

This year MSc students at University of Edinburgh have been working on dissertation topics that put children’s human rights at the center of their studies. With the support of Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights) and partners in the Observatory for Children’s Human Rights in Scotland, as well as NGO’s, practitioners, children and families, excellent work has been undertaken that will support our shared efforts regarding implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in Scotland.

Yulu Fang

MSc Education, University of Edinburgh (2025)

About the research

In line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, a child is anyone under 18. This study further distinguishes between “children” (12 and under) and “young people” (13–18) to better capture the different social positions, challenges and public perceptions each group faces in public spaces. The research explored how adults in Edinburgh understand the presence and rights of children (12 and under) and young people (13–18) in public spaces such as streets, parks and shopping areas. It asked four questions:

1. Are children and young people perceived as vulnerable or as a threat?
2. How do these perceptions influence the design and layout of public spaces?
3. How do they shape everyday regulation and management, and are these practices consistent with children’s rights?
4. How do community views influence the governance of public space, especially children and young people’s participation in planning and decision-making?

Grounded in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), the study treats children and young people as rights-holders whose experiences are shaped by adult norms and power relations. It uses a qualitative design: an open-ended online survey was distributed to 21 adults living in Edinburgh, including parents, youth workers, urban planners, police officers, community safety staff and local business owners. Their written responses were analysed thematically to identify recurring patterns and tensions across different professional and personal perspectives.

Learning from the literature

The literature on childhood and public space highlights that parks, streets and squares are not neutral backdrops, but are produced through social expectations, planning decisions and regulatory practices. Public spaces are crucial for play, friendship, identity and citizenship, yet children and young people often encounter unequal access, surveillance and exclusion.

A children’s-rights lens, particularly Articles 12, 15 and 31 of the UNCRC, stresses that children should not only be physically present but also able to participate, associate and play in ways that are meaningful to them. However, research shows enduring “dominant discourses” that can be understood as follows: children are framed as vulnerable and in need of constant protection, while young people are frequently constructed as risky, disruptive or antisocial. These narratives feed into planning policies, design choices (for example tightly controlled playgrounds) and punitive tools such as dispersal orders or devices aimed at deterring children and young people.

In Edinburgh specifically, policy documents and initiatives present the city as child-friendly and rights-respecting, yet practical regulations – from bans on ball games to limited attention to young people’ needs – reveal gaps between progressive rhetoric and everyday governance.

Learning from participants

In this study, participants largely mirrored these wider patterns. Children were typically described as “sweet”, “playful” and “unthreatening”, but also as dependent and in need of adult oversight. Even supportive comments were often couched in language of care and control, which can unintentionally downplay children’s competence and agency.

In contrast, young people were frequently seen as intimidating, problematic or associated with disorder, with media coverage cited as a powerful influence on public anxiety. The professional role of participants made a noticeable difference to their views. Police officers and some community safety staff, whose work brings them into contact with conflict or law-breaking, tended to hold more negative views of young people. Youth workers, NGO staff and parents who spend time alongside young people in supportive roles offered more empathetic accounts, emphasising pressure, mental health challenges and the normal difficulties of adolescence. They were more likely to describe young people as capable, creative and in need of understanding rather than punishment.

Participants also highlighted how design and management decisions shaped daily life. Spaces aimed at children were usually highly supervised, fenced and equipment-based, reinforcing ideas of control and safety. Provision for young people was far thinner, often limited to formal sports facilities rather than informal, multi-use places to gather. Many adults recognised that rules, security practices and informal “moving on” tactics can push young people away from central and desirable spaces. Several respondents raised concerns about unequal provision across neighbourhoods, noting that families in more affluent areas generally have better access to quality green space and play facilities.

On participation, respondents were broadly supportive of involving children and young people in decisions about public space. At the same time, they pointed to tokenistic consultations, limited feedback, and institutional barriers that keep ultimate control firmly in adult hands.

Key findings, considerations and future directions

Overall, the study concludes that age-based distinctions remain central to community perceptions in Edinburgh. Children are positioned as vulnerable and in need of protection; young people are more likely to be seen as a potential threat. These views translate into:

• Decisions about design and layout that protect children but restrict autonomy, and that often ignore or constrain young people’s spatial needs.
• Regulation and management that normalises surveillance, exclusionary rules and practices which can undermine rights to assembly, play and participation, despite Scotland’s strong rights-based policy framework.
• Governance and participation structures that rhetorically value children’s voices but still struggle to integrate them meaningfully, particularly for young people and for children from less advantaged communities.

The findings suggest several priorities for practice, advocacy and future research:

1. The need to challenge dominant narratives.

Campaigns, training and public communication could focus on disrupting stereotypes of teenagers as inherently risky and children as purely vulnerable, highlighting their competence, diversity and positive contributions.

2. The need to invest in intergenerational contact.

Programmes that bring adults, children and young people together in cooperative, creative activities can foster empathy and reduce prejudice, especially when they include professionals whose work often exposes them only to “problem” cases.

3. Design with, not just for, children and young people.

Planners and local authorities should involve children and young people in shaping parks, streets and civic spaces from an early stage, and ensure that provision includes informal social spaces for teenagers as well as play spaces for younger children.

4. Strengthen rights-based governance.

Participation mechanisms need clearer follow-up, accountability and feedback so that children and young people can see how their input influences decisions.

5. The need to address inequality.

Future work should pay closer attention to how class, disability, gender and ethnicity intersect with age to shape who feels welcome – or unwelcome – in public space. Comparative and mixed-methods research, including children and young people as co-researchers, would deepen this understanding.

Taken together, these insights underline that creating genuinely child- and youth-friendly public spaces in Edinburgh requires not only better design, but also a shift in how communities imagine childhood, adolescence and intergenerational relations in the city.

My thanks to NGO Pilton Youth and Children’s Project (Edinburgh) and of course, to all the adult respondents who supported the study.

Yulu Fang

Ends

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