New Survey on Parents and Online Safety

As reported by U.S. News & World Report, parents have a variety of concerns when it comes to the safety of their kids while surfing the web. But there is some disparity between the percentages of concerned parents and percentage of those parents taking action to protect their kids.

The C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health revealed the following:

• 81% of children aged 9-17 use the Internet without adult supervision
• Almost ½ of children 9-17 have profiles on social-networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook
  • The number increases to almost 2/3 for children 13-17
• 2/3rd of the parents who let their kids go online said they’re concerned about sexual    predators on the Internet
• 1/2 of the parents worry about their children seeing pornography online
• Parents were much less concerned about online gambling, video games, and bullying.

The polls director, Dr. Matthew Davis, attributes the numbers to the fact that parents are just more aware to certain online safety risks (like sex predators) than others.

My take on what’s behind the statistics:

1. Thanks to the media, (with shows like “To Catch A Predator”) there is awareness among parents about the level of registered, and non-registered sex offenders who have a “short cut” as my 10 year old son pointed out to me, to our children online.

2. Because 70% of 12-17 year olds are bullied online, and only 10% tell their parents about it, parents just don’t know.

3. Parents have experienced themselves how easy it is to have pornography sent to them, or accidentally find a few clicks around, how prevalent it is.

What’s a parent to do?

Apply the same level of common sense safeguards you do when there isn’t a computer in front of your child and become involved.

- Use the tools that exist to protect your kids online.
- Don’t accept that sites allow your children to be approached by an anonymous adult stranger.
- Don’t accept that sites allow registered sex offenders to join them.
- Dialogue, Dialogue, Dialogue. Ask your children if they have been bullied online. Made fun of; mean things said about them. Ask them if any of their friends have been mean to others, or hurt by  others online.

Category: Safety