The focus of this paper is the challenges of participatory research with young people in Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) settings in schools and universities. We articulate two concerns: firstly, with
developing the role of creative practices and virtual communities in helping young people to find a voice and become participatory researchers of their own lived experiences; secondly with the importance of TEL researchers working together in research communities and joint enterprises, focused on their shared interests and concerns. Young people’s use and understanding of the Internet is widely under-researched. We argue that researching alongside young people in TEL settings presents researchers with conceptual, methodological and theoretical challenges. The realities of research processes and young people’s lived experiences with TEL do not always sit together easily.