Supervision Still Lacking for Children Browsing the Net
A recent Ofcom report showed that parental supervision or filters and controls are still not being used at optimum levels while children are using the internet. Ofcom is the regulatory body for
The new research concludes that both teens and children are increasingly allowed to access internet in the privacy of their bedrooms, which in most cases pre-empts any parental control over what they are doing. The results were published in the Children’s Media Literacy report.
Statistics show that about one third of 12- 15 years olds can access the internet in their bedrooms and about 60% do so without adult supervision. Basic checks regarding authenticity of the website and accuracy of information are not carried out by about a fourth of this group.
However, the good news is that children now are considerably more aware of protecting their private information on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, etc. A healthy 10% increase in the number of children who restrict access to personal information reveals this cautionary trend.
In the 8 to 11 year group, one out of every six children has internet in his or her room, with a third portion of this number using it when alone. Among 5 to 7 year olds, 2 out of 10 use the internet on their own, revealing that parents are not strictly supervising children’s online habits. Compared to 2007, these figures show a steep rise in the number of children being given free access to internet.
With so many parents voicing their concerns about the risks of allowing children to browse the internet, it is surprising to note that less than half have actually taken proactive steps to ensure the safety of their children online.
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