Half of kids have no rules governing ‘Net usage: survey

It’s back-to-school time for millions of Canadian children this week, but a recent survey from Toronto-based media literacy firm Mediacs shows their parents could likely use some remedial education on the dangers of the online world as well. In this era of pervasive communications and affordable high-tech toys, parents get a C+ when it comes to keeping abreast of how their kids are using the Internet, according to the Mediacs survey. Incredibly, 13% of the 671 grade 5, 6, 7 and 8 students interviewed earlier this year said they spent five hours or more a day online. "That’s a really big number," notes Mediacs managing director Debbie Gordon. "A lot of kids are really quite locked into this online world." That figure doesn’t include TV watching, offline computer and console gaming, and other forms of passive entertainment. The most common level of online use was one to two hours a day, given by 40% of children surveyed. The survey was given to children attending Mediacs workshops in Winnipeg and the Greater Toronto Area from March to May. Respondents were more or less evenly split between boys and girls, and the survey was sponsored in part by Microsoft Canada Co.’s MSN division and administered by Canadian NEW MEDIA sister company Decima Research Inc. More than a quarter of those interviewed – 26% – said they had a computer in their bedroom, making parental supervision while online a challenge. Only 13% responded that the computer they most often used was located in a prominent and visible area of the home, such as a den or family room. Nearly a third – 31% – said that their parents didn’t know the full extent of their online activities, but expressed trust in their judgment anyway, while less than half of respondents said they didn’t have any rules whatsoever governing their use of the Internet. "A lot of kids will say they’re not allowed to go to Lavalife talk to strangers," Gordon says. " for the most part kids self-educated: they learn from each other about how to navigate technology, what kinds of programs to download, how to use – they are basically self-taught, very proud of that and often very territorial as well." That territorialism means shutting out parents who "haven’t played much of a role in the time that they’ve spent online, because they don’t use the technology, they’re intimidated by it, and therefore they’re very suspicious of it," she says. However, while children are often more adept at finding information on the Internet than their parents, they’re not necessarily more aware of the dangers. Gordon cites the example of online contests offering prizes such as free digital music players, which many children readily enter. "Not only have they now downloaded spyware, they’ve shared a ton of personal private information," she says. "They’ve given out who they are." More ominously, 42% of the kids surveyed said they had some form of online profile through services such as Myspace, Xanga, Piczo, Nexopia or MSN Spaces, but 72% of those who did had no idea whether the personal information featured in their profile was set to be viewable by the general public, by authorized friends only, or whether it was private. What’s worse, many parents have no idea what information their children are providing online. However, a spate of stories about adults stalking children on the Web has heightened many parents’ awareness of kids’ activities online, Gordon says, and that should soon translate into tighter restrictions and a more active interest in how their children use the Internet. "A year ago, I would have parents a D," she notes, "so, it’s getting better."

Half of kids have no rules governing ‘Net usage: survey

Broadcast | September 7, 2006

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