Study Shows that Canadian Teens Are Unaware of Internet Dangers
A study was released yesterday indicating that the vast majority of Canadian teens are unaware of the dangers and privacy issues of the internet. The study, performed in partnership between Microsoft Canada and Ipsos-Reid, surveyed a large number of teens of ages ranging from 10-14 years on a number of privacy-related topics.
The results are staggering. 70% of the teens questioned indicated that they believed that the information they put online and sent to friends would be private. Of this 70%, it was found that 37% of females and 22% of males had emailed a picture of themselves to somebody else on the internet.
Other statistics pulled from the survey:
- 33 per cent of children age 10 to 14 spend 6-10 hours a week online while 26 per cent spend more than 10 hours a week online.
- 25 per cent of children would feel safe getting together with a person they have only met online and talked to for a long time online.
- 17 per cent of children say they have used the Internet in the middle of the night.
- 11 per cent have been asked by a stranger for personal information while online such as their full name, home address and phone number.
- One in 10 youth do not know all of the people on their friends/messaging list.
- Two in five 10 year olds always participate in instant messaging when online.
- 26 per cent of children age 10 to 14 have seen hateful messages.
- 96 per cent of parents have spoken with their children about dangers to be aware of online.
What do you think? How could parents do a better job to keep their children out of harms way on the ‘net?
The parents NEED TO STOP believing “Not my child!” I’m in a wheelchair, so I see a lot of CHILDREN DECEIVING & LIEING. Kids trying to act grown. 12 on up trying to have intent sex. As they call it. “Cyber”! Truck drivers have less of a potty mouth! Parents should not use computers for babysitters! If they look at some of the things said, for example: YAHOO! Avatar message boards. Parents if you have children using YAHOO! paid or free versions. Take time and look for one or 2 days…You’ll be shocked. Here’s the URL for that board:
PARENTS NEED TO WAKE UP!
I’m sorry, I made a typo on my comment. The error was in the sentence, Kids trying to act grown. 12 on up trying to have intent* sex. As they call it. “Cyber”!
It was supposed to be, “Kids trying to act grown. 12 on up trying to have internet sex. As they call it. “Cyber”!”
Also I meant to add, YAHOO! needs to tighten up. At the very least. One internet problem is with them. When you report somebody. All they do is send a response e-mail. And never do anything. Unless a mass of people report. Try reporting something with profanity, sex, or harassment in it. When you get a response e-mail. Save it and go back to it. Click on the link that you reported. Chances are, what you reported will still be their. Unless YAHOO! reads this and change suddenly. They don’t have a moderator. Which they really should. MANY users are 10 years and up. All they do is suggest turning on blockers. I keep saying, that’s like putting blinders on. That doesn’t solve the problems. All parents or the Media that do care should find out who oversees these ISP’s and FORCE them to at least have moderators. The blame is mostly placed on MySpace. I see many days on that YAHOO! Avatar message board, where the kids give out their own e-mail addresses, so strangers can request to be added to their MySpace accounts. And that’s one of MySpaces precautions. What’s MySpace supposed to do next? Provide babysitters! I’m not trying to bash YAHOO! I like YAHOO! It’s just that I believe they could do more!
I was going to put URL’s on here from YAHOO!’s board from the search. But I’m afraid some children might see it that shouldn’t. So I decided not to. The URL from the YAHOO! Avatar site that I put on my first comment is plenty.
By the way. On my first comment, I said I’m in a wheelchair. It’s due to Muscular Dystrophy. I see it EVERYDAY! It scares me to see it go on. But I feel helpless. I don’t know what to do. Or what authority to turn to for help. I’m not a parent. But if so many parents don’t look out for their own. Somebody needs to!
TO THE PARENTS THAT DON’T PAY ATTENTION!!!
THE INTERNET IS NOT A BABYSITTER!!!
I have three children, and I do not share the concerns of the author. I’m not into censoring my children, filtering their computers, spying on them, installing a chastity belt around my daughter, or slapping GPS devices around my children’s ankles.
I think the Internet is a great place for people of all ages to get to know each other. In fact, that’s where my 14-year-old daughter met her boyfriend. She didn’t give him our address at first, but met him at a Burger King. Now he’s like a son to me.
As for 17-per cent of children saying they have used the Internet in the middle of the night, occasionally my children do this. In fact My wife often uses the computer into the wee hours of the morning, catching-up on the latest news, composing e-mail, and shopping.
I realize that fear-mongering’s a tried-and-true way of getting people to read a blog. Ruppert Murdoch’s has made billions catering to fear. But you see, not everyone’s that gullible, though I understand that Canadians aren’t really all that bright. Certainly they don’t know how to make love (probably they’re afraid to), for there are only thirty-million of you.
I don’t ask my children if they engage in sexual activity because, frankly, I don’t consider it any of my business just so long as nobody’s being forceably raped. As for hateful messages, there’s a lot of hate in the world, and they reject it because they have parents who reject it through both words and deeds.
Stop whining. Unless you’re planning to lock your kids up in a closet, they will—-they must—-be exposed to the world, so they can deal with it.