The great Internet divide
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An area where parents should be fully aware of, especially if their kids are very active in the online world. Personal and private information can be easily given to unscrupulous users prowling the world wide web…
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SURFING THE NET
by Alicia Wong
05:55 AM Jun 05, 2009
THE extent by which parents underestimate their children's use of the Internet appears to have "increased significantly" over the years, noted chairman of the Internet and Media Advisory Committee Eugene Seow.
A 2001 poll by the now-disbanded Parents Advisory Group for the Internet had found youth spending 11.4 hours a week online, while parents estimated their usage at 8.6 hours.
But a local survey by Symantec revealed yesterday that teens spent nearly twice as much time online as their parents believed. They assume children only access the Internet at home, explained Symantec's consumer business lead of the Asia South Region, Mr Effendy Ibrahim.
The findings show "parents do not have quite a good handle in terms of where their kids are online", he noted, highlighting the dangers youth face, such as cyber-bullying and security threats.
But do parents need to know everything their children get up to online in order to protect them? Nearly four in 10 admitted to spying on their kids' online usage, while 46 per cent have installed parental control software.
WHAT PARENTS THINK | WHAT KIDS ARE REALLY DOING |
61% claim to know what their kid is looking at online | Increasingly accessing the Net at Internet cafés, friend's place, via mobile phones |
2% think their kids access illegal/unlicensed materials | 25% actually do access illegal/unlicensed materials |
98% don't know if their kids access pornography | 20% of teens do access pornography |
74% aren't aware their kids chat with strangers | 48% chat with strangers online more than once a week |
90% are unaware if their kids share personal details online | 43% are careless with their personal details online |
Symantec survey conducted in April and Ma y of 397 adults and 35 teens aged 15 to 19
Parent can set rules for Internet usage even if they have limited knowledge of the Internet, said Mr Effendy, citing a free online tool (up until 2010) for parents by Symantec.
Director of Hougang Sheng Hong Family Service Centre (FSC) Sara Tan said: "(Youth need) space for secrecy ... They may not tell you everything, but it's important to open up the channels for communication."
Parents can join support groups, such as one at Hougang Sheng Hong FSC, to understand children's interest in the Web.
Youth can also register at a website that records the sites they surf and send it to a chosen "accountability person", said senior executive social worker Ong Ai Weig, from Fei Yue FSC.
But putting matters into perspective, she noted that while it is "very common" for youth to give personal information online and meet up with online pals, "the majority exercise discretion (and) are pretty street smart".
In her experience, out of 10 youth, only one or less would "get into serious problems".
From TODAY, News – Friday, 05-Jun-2009; see the source article here.
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