Tiscali: How kids use the internet

Children's innocence and emotional immaturity can make them vulnerable when certain online interactions turn nasty. More than ever we all need to be aware of what children do online and what we, as parents and guardians, need to do to protect them.

• 80% have internet access at home
• They spend over 20 hours a week online
• 40% of 8- to 11-year-olds browse the web on their own
• 71% of 12- to 15-year-olds say they browse the web alone
• Online social networking sites (Bebo, Piczo, Facebook) are favourites

Source: Behind the Screen: The Hidden Life of Youth. Kay Withers with Ruth Sheldon. IPPR, March 2008.

But there is more . . . .

• 1 in 5 kids admit to online activity their parents would disapprove of
• 24% of children spend ten 10 times or more online than their parents think they do
• 5 times as more kids have been approached by a stranger online than parents believe
• Only 4 in 10 parents have spoken to their child about safe Internet practices

Source: Norton Online Living Report. Symantec, February 2008

Earlier this year, New York Magazine featured an interesting profile of several young people in an attempt to illustrate the dramatic generation gap that the internet has created. From sex tapes to blogs, this shift shows the impact of the internet for this generation of children:

• CHANGE 1: THEY THINK OF THEMSELVES AS HAVING AN AUDIENCE
• CHANGE 2: THEY HAVE ARCHIVED THEIR ADOLESCENCE
• CHANGE 3: THEIR SKIN IS THICKER THAN YOURS

Adolescents seem to have little fear about being publicly open on blogs and the like. For example, note the text in the following excerpt: I tell X about Y and her sex tape. She is sympathetic with Ys emotional response, she says, but she is most shocked by her decision to log off entirely.

Tiscali Child Protection alerts you to problem instant message conversations. Instant messaging and social chat is part of childrens' lives. How can it also be made safer? Tiscali Child Protection from Crisp has the answer. You do not have to sacrifice your child's freedom or privacy to protect them.

Instant message conversations and social networking are an everyday part of childrens' online experiences. Does your child use Yahoo! Instant Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, MSN Instant Messenger, Meebo Instant Messenger, MySpace Instant Messenger or Google Talk?

If the answer is yes then you will need help to ensure your children are protected from online groomers, whilst still being able to enjoy the internet.

Tiscali Child Protection from Crisp is designed to work with instant messenger programmes and the social network site chat rooms your kids use. Privacy, freedom and openness are its guiding principles. Find out more here

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