The article deals with the ethical questions that a researcher encountered when planning, conducting and reporting on research concerning young people’s everyday lives. The empirical data based on observations, photographs and interviews were gathered from among teenagers who were spending time, or ‘hanging out’, at a shopping mall in the centre of Helsinki, Finland. First, ethical dilemmas regarding the planning phase of the research are described. The data-gathering phase is then analyzed, and the status of the researcher in the ‘research field’ is explored. Lastly, the different positions of the adult researcher and young participants are illustrated by giving examples of the photographs taken. Complex issues relating to young people’s roles as either active participants in research or potentially vulnerable objects of study are discussed, and the importance of more flexible and context-sensitive solutions regarding ethical decisions is highlighted.
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