Parents and teens apart on online safety

Stan Beer
Thursday, 15 December 2005 17:24

Your IT - Home IT

New research reveals a huge disconnect between parents and their teenage children over online behaviour, with potentially reckless behaviour from teens exposed.

The research, which received 3490 responses from parents and 8918 responses from children, conducted by Ninemsn and Government established safety advisory body NetAlert, highlighted three big issues facing parents and their teenage children regarding Internet use:

Online social networking – with teens communicating online, what's the potential for turning online communication into real-life meetings?
 
Illegal content downloads – in a growing trend, teens are routinely downloading content without parental knowledge or approval.
 
Parental supervision of online behaviour – or the lack of it is apparent in many cases.

The research revealed that 40% of teens would potentially meet in person someone they have "met" online and only 12% would ask their parents for permission to do so.

"These figures clearly highlight the need for ongoing Internet safety education for children of all ages. Only through education and open discussion can the community hope to protect its children online," Karyn Hart, NetAlert chair, said today.

A newer teen Internet use issue is emerging in the shape of illegal and unapproved file downloads, a growing activity among Australian teenagers.

42% of 16-18 year olds admit they have downloaded content from the Internet that they didn't want their parents to know about.

And while some parents (49%) suspect their children might download files without permission, in reality as many as 63% of teens online have actually done so.

Martin Hoffman, CEO Ninemsn, said: "The Internet is a great tool for learning, communication and entertainment, but this research illustrates some ongoing, as well as new, challenges facing parents and teens. NetAlert and ninemsn offer a range of materials that can help bridge the digital generation gap."

The research also revealed a huge discrepancy between parents' and teens' understanding of 'rules' for time online. While 80% of parents claim they have set ground rules for Internet usage, only 69% of teenagers agree that online rules exist.

The location of a computer in the home has a major impact on whether, and how well, parents monitor teenagers' time online. When the computer is located in non-social rooms, such as a bedroom or home office, it is less likely that parents check the online activity of their kids. And over half of all computers are located in one of these non-social rooms.

Martin Hoffman, CEO of Ninemsn, said: "This is a wake-up call for parents to get more involved in their children's Internet lives. But the good news is that by simply moving the location of the family PC, taking a greater interest in what our kids are doing online and talking to them about it, we can make an immediate difference."

Karyn Hart said: "The research clearly highlights the need for a more open and frank dialogue between parents and children. For 90% of teens, home is the main point of access for the Internet, hence it is imperative that parents make clear what is and what is not acceptable."

Other results of the survey:

Other information gathered from the report includes:

43% of teenage boys have downloaded files that they didn't want their parents to know about.
 
50% of parents believe they always know what sites their children visit.

56% of parents thought they had enough information about online safety.

More than half of parents claimed that they had better Internet knowledge than their children.

24% of teens claim that their parents are never around when they are online. Six% of parents claimed that they were never around when their children were online.

The older the children, the less likely it is that their parents will join them online.

71% of parents believe their children use the Internet for research, while only 23% of teens say they research online.

55% of all parents claimed that they were checking their children's online behaviour by watching them.

84% of parents claim they go online together with their children.