Kids embracing Internet era: study

Ottawa’s Media Awareness Network recently released Phase II of its landmark Young Canadians in a Wired World study. In this section, titled "The Mainstreaming of Networked Technology in Kids’ Lives", the study examines kids’ attitudes towards the Internet and network technology, and finds that many find it as transparent and uncomplicated – and as necessary – as the telephone. The Internet has been a ubiquitous presence in young Canadians’ school lives since 1999, when Industry Canada connected all of Canada’s 5,000 public schools to the Internet. However, the Net is also now a pervasive element of young people’s home lives. Ninety-four percent of kids report that they have Internet access at home, and a significant majority of them (61%) enjoy a high-speed connection. By the time kids hit Grade 11, half of them (51%) have their own Internet-connected computer, separate and apart from the family computer. But that is only part of the story. Although a home computer remains the most common way young people connect to networked spaces, around half of kids with cell phones can use those phones to surf the Net (44%) and text message their friends (56%). So, for many youth, access to networked communications is no longer limited to landlocked PCs. In addition, the line between networked spaces and real world spaces is blurred by the surprising number of kids who have their own webcams (22%) and cell phone cameras (17%). The common practice of posting pictures of themselves on MSN profiles, personal web pages, weblogs and social networking sites also demonstrates how permeable the line between young people’s private lives and the Internet has become. This blending of virtual and real spaces is accompanied by a similar convergence of networked and traditional media. By Grade 8, more than three-quarters of young people download or listen to music online, and one-third of them use the Net to get access to television shows and movies. The resulting mediascape provides kids with multiple opportunities to communicate, express themselves and entertain themselves, with little interruption as they move back and forth between the real world and virtual spaces. Kids’ interest in integrating the Net into their social lives begins at a surprisingly early age. The typical Grade 4 student, if given an hour or two to use the Net, prefers to play online games, but gaming is soon superseded by talking to friends. By Grade 6, girls prefer instant messaging over any other online activity; by Grade 8, boys’ interest in gaming is matched by their interest in instant messaging. From Grade 9 on, instant messaging is the preferred online activity for both girls (80-83%) and boys (54-61%), and about 80% of kids instant message and listen to music on a daily basis. Getting access to this online world is easier for older children, who are more likely to have their own computer, MP3 player, cell phone and webcam. This fact is particularly important to note because children who have their own Internet-connected computer typically spend twice as much time online on an average school day as kids who use family equipment do. But a significant percentage of younger kids (20% in Grade 4) have their own Internet-connected computer. The number of kids with their own devices continues to grow until it starts to level off by grades 8 or 9 – reaching critical mass, so to speak, at exactly the age when using the Net to talk with friends and listen to music has hit the mainstream.

Kids embracing Internet era: study

News | 12/09/2005 5:00 am EST

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