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Pan-European survey of 25,000 kids

January 25, 2011 By Anne 1 Comment

A just-released survey of more than 25,000 9-to-16-year-olds (and one of each child’s parents) in 25 European countries recommends that Internet companies “provide more ways for children to block, filter or report alarming online content and contacts,” yet only a little over a quarter (28%) of families surveyed actually use such tech tools. According to the study’s press release, the findings suggest that “both children and parents are reassured when given tools to take action against online dangers such as bullying, sexual content and intrusive strangers,” but “they often don’t use the options available (including online safety advice or the so-called ‘panic buttons’ operated by social networking sites).” The press release, from the EU Kids Online study based at the London School of Economics and Political Science, adds that 82% of European children “are not bothered or upset by what they encounter online,” though children targeted by bullying – which only 5% say they’ve experienced – “were the most likely to say this upset them.”

But – because blocking mechanisms provide little real protection on a social Web where safety, privacy and reputation protection are very much a shared experience – here’s what I was glad to see the authors recommend: “Children should be encouraged to take responsibility for their own safety online as much as possible.” They can do that when, from the first moment they use a phone or any other social technology, they’re given opportunities to practice civility, respect for self and others, and critical thinking about what they share and consume (new media literacy). But all those can be practiced offline too, at home, daycare, etc. even before they pick up a phone or gameplayer. [See also “Learning how to save lives on Facebook,” “Why digital citizenship’s a hot topic (globally),” and “For our kids’ sake, more than accountability online, pls.”]

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Filed Under: Research Tagged With: EU Kids Online, Internet safety, London School of Economics, LSE, online safety, social media research, Sonia Livingstone

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Chris says

    January 27, 2011 at 5:54 pm

    It’s surprising to hear how small a percentage of families use tech tools to take action against online dangers. You made an important point that in a world of shared experiences, blocking tools are only as strong as everyone else’s ability to also utilize those tools.

    I was glad to hear a conclusion that hit the nail on the head. Children should be encouraged to take responsibility for their own safety online as much as possible. We should look at this situation as an opportunity to practice civility and teach children to be respectable digital citizens.

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IMPORTANT RESOURCES

Our (DIGITAL) PARENTING BASICS: Safety + Social
NAMLE, the National Association for Media Literacy Education
CASEL.org & the 5 core social-emotional competencies of SEL
Center for Democracy & Technology
Center for Innovative Public Health Research
Childnet International
Committee for Children
Congressional Internet Caucus Academy
ConnectSafely.org
Control Shift: a pivotal book for Internet safety
Crimes Against Children Research Center
Crisis Textline
Cyber Civil Rights Initiative's Revenge Porn Crisis Line
Cyberwise.org
danah boyd's blog and book about networked youth
Disconnected, Carrie James's book on digital ethics
FOSI.org's Good Digital Parenting
The research of Global Kids Online
The Good Project at Harvard's School of Education
If you watch nothing else: "Parenting in a Digital Age" TED Talk by Prof. Sonia Livingstone
The International Bullying Prevention Association
Let Grow Foundation
Making Caring Common
Raising Digital Natives, author Devorah Heitner's site
Renee Hobbs at the Media Education Lab
MediaSmarts.ca
The New Media Literacies
Report of the Aspen Task Force on Learning & the Internet and our guide to Creating Trusted Learning Environments
The Ruler Approach to social-emotional learning (Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence)
Sources of Strength
"Young & Online: Perspectives on life in a digital age" from young people in 26 countries (via UNICEF)
"Youth Safety on a Living Internet": 2010 report of the Online Safety & Technology Working Group (and my post about it)

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