[1] While Livingstone’s research has evolved since the start of her career in the 1980s, her recent work explores media and communication in relation to society, children and technology.

[8] Livingstone states that one of her research interests is exploring how people "maintain a sense of themselves in a communication environment replete with meanings they didn't create".

[10] This work was recognized for the innovative way in which she combined critical and social psychological theoretical frameworks and employed qualitative interview research methodologies, traditions that she still identifies with today.

[17] Further capturing evolving media forms, Livingstone has been notable in researching and leading public conversations about the rise of the internet in the everyday lives of children and families.

[20] "Taking a comparative, critical and contextualised approach, Sonia Livingstone's current research asks why and how the changing conditions of mediation are reshaping everyday practices and possibilities for action, identity and communication rights.

[21] More broadly, she is interested in how citizen values (public sphere, rights-based, equity-focused, diversity-promoting) can be better embedded in information and communication infrastructures in institutions, regulators and the lifeworld.

Livingstone is renowned for her multi-methodological approaches and she has overseen projects incorporating both large-scale quantitative and qualitative methods in the study of media engagement and reception.

Her insights to policymakers and organizations in recent years are concerned with children's rights in relation to the digital environment, online safety, and media literacy.

Additionally, she was a member of the Advisory Group for the "Better Internet for Kids – BIK Policy Map" from 2019 to 2023, and she has been a #SaferInternet4EU Ambassador since 2018, as invited by European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel.

Livingstone is active on Twitter, and LinkedIn, where she shares regular updates about her research works and engages with public conversation, as well as academic and non-academic users.

Since 2020, the commission’s work has been to drive ‘real world change for children and young people,’[26] and this intention is reflected in the make-up of the commissioners, the list of which includes academics and leaders from The University of Leeds, The Alan Turing Institute, The Lego Group, EY, and the BBC.

Livingstone directed ‘The Class’ a research project that examines the emerging mix of on- and offline experiences in teenagers’ daily learning lives.

In an ordinary London school, the project followed the networks within and beyond a single class of 13-14-year-olds at home, school and elsewhere over an academic year – observing social interactions in and between lessons; conducting interviews with children, parents, teachers and relevant others; and mapping out-of-school engagements with digital networking technologies to reveal both patterns of use and the quality and meaning of such engagements as they shape the learning opportunities of young people.

The aim was to identify comparable findings across Europe and evaluate the social, cultural and regulatory influences affecting online opportunities and risks, along with children's and parents’ responses, to inform policy.

The study has generated a substantial body of new data – rigorously collected and cross-nationally comparable – on European children's access, use, opportunities, risks and safety practices regarding the Internet and online technologies.

Notable accolades include honorary doctorates from six universities and the Engaged Research Award from the International Communication Association's Children, Adolescence, and Media Division in 2022.

[1] Livingstone was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the Queen's 2014 New Year Honours for services to children and child Internet safety.