Europe is traditionally regarded as a cultural entity with shared historical roots, values, systems and institutions. At a meta-level this provides a shared point of departure within and outside Europe. However, Kevin (2003: 2) notes that ‘definitions of Europe cannot logically be confined to specific political, cultural, or geographic descriptions’. When considering the various levels on which Europe may be understood, one must note that the European Union (EU) is more integrated at the political and economic levels than in terms of culture and traditions. Bondebjerg and Golding discuss the elements of a perceived European common culture thus:

All accounts perceive a common heritage, in which democracy, Enlightenment values, science, reason, and individualism are infused in a potent brew which has a unique European flavour. To this heady mix is added a strong historical sense of roots in a common Greco-Roman tradition, together with a loose association of these values with something called “civilization”. (2004: 12)

However, they also go on to point to the difficulties in grasping ‘this protean myth of a European culture or identity’, noting that there is also ‘a discernible contradiction in the policy arena within Europe among the emerging panoply of European institutions and pan-national agencies’ (Bondebjerg and Golding, 2004: 13).

Given the juxtaposition of a common European heritage, with tendencies towards the homogenisation of policy specifically with the EU, and diverse national institutions and cultural histories, there is always the question of how much is similar or different across Europe. This applies to the research undertaken in any field, including that on children's experience of the internet. How far are research contexts common across countries and how much is country-specific? Can an understanding of these research contexts account for differences in the research conducted cross-nationally? Where is it possible to make a comparative analysis? Why are different aspects of children and the internet researched, or not, in different European countries?

The challenge is to understand the social shaping of research. Admittedly, the nature of what research is conducted, and how it is conducted, partly reflects the interests and orientations of particular researchers or research teams. But the focus here is on the wider social factors that may influence this process – and whether they vary cross-nationally.