31 July, 2006 - Internet survey highlights need for parents to be alert to hidden dangers for young people - Minister Hanafin

A new survey on internet usage among 9-16 year olds in Ireland, shows most young people who use the internet to communicate or meet other children, reported a positive experience. However, a number of children reported that while the person they were communicating with over the web introduced themselves as a child, turned out in fact to be an adult. 11% of the children surveyed said that the person they met up with tried to physically hurt them.

Minister for Education and Science Mary Hanafin today described the findings of the survey as very worrying. "This survey contains a wealth of information about how our young people are using all forms of modern technology to access the internet and communicate through it. Worryingly though, it seems very often that parents are not fully aware of the hidden dangers that are part the emergence of these new technologies. The survey shows that children have a huge exposure to the internet. This is very positive from a learning and educational point of view, but parents must realise that allowing children unregulated access to chat rooms and other social networks can have very dangerous consequences."

Among the main findings of the survey, conducted by the National Centre for Technology in Education site Webwise are:

All children use PCs, almost 40% claim to own their own PC.
96% have used the Internet.
A quarter of the children surveyed said they used the internet at home everyday. 52% are using it at least once a week at school.
One in ten use instant messaging (MSN, ICQ, Google Chat, Skype etc.) at home everyday or almost everyday.
There is increasing access to the Internet through different devices such as personal computers, laptops, mobile phones and game consoles.
One in fifteen of the children surveyed had met in real life someone that they first met on the Internet. This marks an increase from one in twenty-two in 2003. Most reported very positive experiences.
11% of the 9 to 16-year-olds surveyed who met up with someone that they first met online said that the other person tried to physically hurt them. Worryingly, in all the cases of physical and verbal abuse reported in the survey the children said that the person who introduced themselves to them on the Internet as a child, turned out to be an adult.
27% said they met someone new on the Internet who asked for information like their photo, phone number, street address, or the school you attend. This is an increase from 19% in 2003.
Over 50% said that their parents spoke with them very rarely or not at all about what they did on the internet.

Minister Hanafin said "all young people need to be very cautious about the level of personal details and images which they upload onto their web pages. They should be particularly careful about what they reveal about themselves when chatting online with people they have only met online as this information can be used to identify or locate them.

The findings are a valuable resource for parents, educators, and industry as we strive to actively empower our children to be autonomous and responsible Internet users for life"said Minister Hanafin.

Jerome Morrissey, Director of the NCTE said "these findings have implications for parental supervision and monitoring of children's appropriate use of ICT. Effective age verification and moderation strategies could be implemented by online services which would allow young people to meet and communicate with others online with a greater degree of safety. Webwise is the NCTE's internet safety initiative focusing on raising awareness of online safety issues and good practice among students, their parents and teachers. I urge all parents to use this valuable resource to learn about the emerging technologies that children are using with increasing regularity."

ENDS

An executive summary of the Webwise Survey of Children's Use of the Internet is available on www.webwise.ie

The National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE) is an Irish Government agency established to provide advice, support and information on the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in education.

Webwise is the NCTE's internet safety initiative focusing on raising awareness of online safety issues and good practice.