Study shows smartphones dominating the playground

David Swan
Thursday, 02 February 2012 15:43

Your IT - Mobility

One in three Aussie school kids are returning to school this year with a smartphone, and almost eight in ten own a phone by the age of 13, according to new research from Telstra.'¨'¨

 

Telstra's Cyber-Safety survey of Australian parents with children aged ten to 17 showed almost eight in ten Aussie kids own a mobile phone by the time they're 13 and seven in ten will take a phone with them to school this year.

The research also found that nine in ten parents have concerns about cyber-safety risks, such as approaches from online strangers and cyber bullying.

Telstra's Officer of Internet Trust & Safety, Darren Kane, said it was important for parents to equip kids with the skills required to use new technology safely as they pack their gadget-filled bags for the new school year.

'More than 80 per cent of the parents surveyed told us they view internet connected technology as an important part of their child's learning and development. However, with kids taking these tech tools to school in record numbers, it's important they know how to stay safe when using them.'¨'¨'

Our research found that parents' cyber safety concerns don't necessarily motivate them to prepare their kids for the digital schoolyard.

Almost half of parents admitted they haven't spoken to their children recently about how to handle approaches from cyber bullies and more than a third (37 per cent) haven't spoken to them about how to respond if a stranger approaches them online.

'Sitting down with your child for ten minutes to talk to them about cyber-safety essentials such as when to share personal information online, handling approaches from cyber bullies or strangers online and applying social network privacy settings will make the experience of owning a gadget a better one for kids,' Darren said.

Other findings from the Telstra research were:

'¢    School tech increasingly sophisticated: While mobile phones and laptops are the most popular devices to take to class, one in three kids are eturning to school with a smartphone, while six per cent will take a tablet to school this year.

'¢    Parents' top concerns: Unsolicited contact by strangers is the single greatest cyber-safety concern (with 34 per cent citing it as their top concern) followed by cyber bullying (15.3%) and unsupervised access to information (14.7%).

'¢   New tech not always matched with new skills: 31 per cent of parents haven't spoken to their children recently about how to protect personal information like photos, address details and passwords when online while 42 per cent of parents haven't spoken to their kids about who they  should share their mobile number with.

'¢   Aussie mobile ownership starts young:  Over a quarter (27%) children aged under 11 years own a mobile phone and almost eight in ten kids have a  phone by the time they're 13.

'¢    Mobiles at school: Four in ten kids who take mobiles to school use them to connect with friends and family via texts and social networking sites such as Facebook. Interestingly, ten per cent of kids use mobile apps such a calculator and a compass as learning aids in some classes.

'Internet connected devices such as laptops, mobile phones and mobile tablets can be just as important to learning as paper, pens and text books. Parents can help ensure their children have a positive experience with these technologies by involving themselves in their children's use of the  internet, keeping an eye on how they interact with others and regularly talking to them about what online behaviour is acceptable,' Darren added.

According to Telstra, the research was conducted online by Pure Profile on behalf of Telstra in January 2012 on a representative sample of 1,250 Australian parents with children aged 10-17, from across Australia in both metropolitan and regional areas.