New Survey on Children’s Internet Habits
A survey was conducted nationally in August 2007 by Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) that focused on children’s Internet habits. It revealed an alarming gap between what parents say they are teaching their children about Internet safety and the reality of what they are doing to ensure their kids are practicing these measures.
You can read the article that I found here: Survey on Internet Safety Reveals Parents Not Spending Enough Time with Kids Online. Below are some notables:
1. The technology explosion has ushered in “Generation I,” the first generation to grow up with the Internet as an integral part of their everyday routine. According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 87 percent of youth ages 12-17 now use the Internet. In many ways, Gen I youth are light years beyond the technological abilities of their parents, presenting a challenge for their parents to keep up with them.
2. While the vast majority of youth (81.3%) say their parents have spoken with them about being safe online, they report few of their parents actually monitor or participate in their online activity.
3. Surfing the Net: Over half (52.8%) of kids say that their parents have never surfed the Internet with them. Just 12.2 percent of parents surf the Internet with their children monthly.
4. Online Contacts: More than half (53.4%) of the youth surveyed say their parents never so much as inquire who they speak to online. Despite the conversations that parents may have had with children, one-third continue to be allowed access to any Website they so choose – unrestricted by rules or controlled settings.
5. Restricting Websites: Two-thirds of children claim that a parent has restricted their online access to certain sites, but a mere 18.1 percent say their parents are always in the room while they are on the Internet.
6. Posting Personal Info: In spite of many warnings and incidents, one-fifth of all children still post personal information on social networking sites (e.g., Facebook, MySpace) or video-sharing sites (e.g., YouTube).
This confirms what I have feared. OK, the message is sinking in – but NO ONE is doing anything about it! The very least parents should be doing, if they aren’t goig to phsyically be involved, is to install monitoring software like PC Pandora! That way, you can watch and know from a distance… but at least you still KNOW!
November 28th, 2007 at 8:26 PM
Very interested, it does not shock me though because many parents are trying to give there kids some space and trusting in them that they will do the right thing, and lets face it what parent wants to sit there all day and monitor all your kids internet activity.
November 28th, 2007 at 8:40 PM
I think it’s laziness… and since when do teenagers make smart decisions and do the right thing?
November 29th, 2007 at 3:04 AM
I guess that the software is the need of the hour right now.I mean is it remotely possible for parents to look up and see what their children are upto day in an day out.There has to be a better way around this and I guess Pc-Pandora gives a better solution..
November 29th, 2007 at 8:33 PM
Of course it is laziness 99% of Americans are extremely lazy why do you think that the top couple percent of people hold over ninety five percent of the nations wealth is it because they are angels no it is because they are not lazy like most Americans out there, there needs to be a conscious shift to wake people out of this lazy state. What needs to happen is you need to create enough fear or pain in the parents minds where they will over look the laziness and use the software.