Surveying 2,800 kids and more than 7,000 adults in 14 countries about their online lives and experiences, The Norton Online Family Report finds over six in 10 kids have had negative online experiences — from exposure to nudity and violence to having a stranger try to meet them in real life. But nearly half of the kids, aged eight to 17, think they are more careful online than their parents, with 20 percent saying their parents have “no idea” what they are doing online.
The study, conducted by research company StrategyOne, expands on the number of countries surveyed in 2008 and 2009, focusing on the gaps between parents and kids with respect to their online beliefs and behaviors. With this year’s report, Norton also looked at the emotional impact of online experiences on kids.
Parents are reported to be more aware of how much time their children are spending online. In 2008, Norton found that kids reported spending nearly 10 times as much time online as parents realized. In 2009, the gap shrunk to kids reporting being online twice as much as parents realized. This year, kids and parents are fully in sync about the about the amount of time kids spend online. Kids actually want more parental involvement in their online lives, with nearly nine in 10 reporting they follow family rules for Internet use.
However, other gaps remain. Though almost seven in 10 kids say they would turn to their parents if something bad happened online, only 45 percent of parents realize their kids are having negative experiences. While parents are generally aware of the activities in which kids participate online, they underestimate the extent to which kids download music and videos, activities in which kids may be exposed to inappropriate content and encouraged to disclose personal details.
While kids are aware of many common sense rules for staying safe online, the old rules are not enough to keep up. Of particular relevance to social media, 41% of the kids had a stranger try to connect with them on social network and 10% reported that someone they did not know online tried to get them to meet in real life. Half of the 83% of kids gaming are downloading their games without supervision.
Kids reported anger, upset and fear about negative online experiences, with more than half feeling some responsibility for them. One-fifth of kids worldwide regret something they’ve done online.
The report includes updated tips for parents, such as using the Norton Online Family service, available free of charge in 25 languages and talking to kids about safety online, including letting them know that what happens to them online is a shared responsibility. Social networking safety tips include:
Tell children only to add friends they know and not add ‘friends of friends’
Have your children add you as a friend so you can see who their friends are
Make sure your child tells you if someone online wants to meet them in person
Always go with your child if you agree for them to meet a peer in real life
According to NetFamilyNews.org Editor and ConnectSafely.org Co-Director Anne Collier, who collaborated with Norton on the study: “This report provides a rare glimpse into the online lives of young people in many countries — in their own words. Not only does it send a clear message that the online safety and security issues around parenting are universal, it offers insights and information that can empower parents worldwide to help kids use the Internet safely and keep family communication about technology open and ongoing — the number-one Net-safety best practice at home, school, and everywhere.”
