New survey shows parents know little about what their children do online

Canadian parents may think they know what their children are doing online, but it’s not a view shared by their kids, according to a groundbreaking new survey released by the Media Awareness Network. The study of 5,682 Canadian students, aged nine to 17 years, found that children believe their web surfing goes unmonitored. They also believe they know a lot more about the Internet than their parents do. The not-for-profit group, which encourages critical thinking about media information, says the survey results demonstrate the need for further public education among children and parents concerned about keeping their kids safe in cyberspace. The numbers were released late last month as part of the Media Awareness Network’s Young Canadians in a Wired World: The Student’s View. The study was conducted in March by Environics, and contained some surprising statistics: Fewer than two in 10 students think their parents know much about the sites they visit; 71 per cent of parents believe they know a great deal or a fair bit about their kids’ destinations online (according to an earlier survey by the group); and More than one-third of kids erase the history that shows which sites they’ve visited and only about two in 10 say they don’t know how to do it. Not surprisingly, over half of kids say they learned about the Internet from friends, with the rest saying they learned by exploring on their own. A vast majority are online alone most or all of the time. Most don’t have their online experience filtered by parents, and 15 per cent say they’ve met an Internet friend in person. Easily the most popular activities online relate to communications (email and chat) while the number of kids who say they use it for homework is far fewer than what their parents say. Music and games also top the charts of kids’ activities online. More details to be released later Jan D’Arcy, co-director at Media Awareness, says the study is one of the most comprehensive in the world, but that the data released last month is just a part of the picture. She told Canadian NEW MEDIA that more information will be available this fall which will explore the darker side of Canadian youth’s activities online – data which wasn’t incorporated into this report. She says the groundwork is now being laid to discourage sensationalist reporting on the subject. As for this report, she says one of the main things focus groups have pointed out is the degree of peer influence in dictating kids’ behaviour online. Besides studying the matter further, she says at least one major initiative is in the pipe to exploit the opportunity to help kids help each other. This fall, it’s expected that the Girl Guides of Canada will introduce a new badge for computer literacy, and similar initiatives are being explored with other organizations.

New survey shows parents know little about what their children do online

News | 07/25/2001 4:00 am EDT

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