Brussels, 09/02/2011 (Agence Europe) - On 8 February, the computer software giant Microsoft published a survey into the behaviour of young people (14 to 18-year-olds) and their parents whilst online (EUROPE 10311). This study reveals that parents are generally well informed about the risks to their children but are struggling to protect them. The president of Microsoft International, Jean-Philippe Courtois, declared: “The majority of parents understand the importance of talking to their children about the dangers linked to their activities on the net but the online landscape is continually evolving and parents must remain vigilant and actively involved”.
The survey provides the following information: 1) 87% of parents talk with their children about the dangers existing on the internet and amongst these, 63% explicitly highlight the danger of sexual harassment; 2) nonetheless, only 36% of parents use parental control or site screening software. Twenty-six per cent of them do not even do anything to limit or control their children's online activities at home; 3) the parents who talk about the dangers of the internet with their children are still not asking the right questions. For example, 44% of parents do not know whether their children are limiting access to their online social networking profiles; 4) children are more skilful in keeping up with technological developments than their parents. Eighty-five per cent of children therefore limit access to their online profiles. Thirty-nine per cent of them admit that they consult sites that their parents disapprove of and 67% declare that they erase any evidence of their browsing, in an effort to conceal their internet activities; 5) consequently, most children adopt at-risk behaviour on the internet. Almost half (44%) for example, lie about their age and almost a third (37%) of them reply to online contact by unknown persons and only 4% report this to a trusted party (a parent or teacher) when this occurs. Finally, 15% of young people interviewed admit that they have posted online or video commentaries that are likely to have a damaging or intimidating effect on someone else on the social networking site. In Europe, behaviour differs from country to country. Therefore: 1) in Ireland parents are particularly vigilant in controlling their children's online activities and children are quite well informed about the importance of not sharing personal data online; 2) in Italy, there is still a lot that needs to be done to inform parents about the dangers internet can pose to their children; 3) in Portugal, half of all parents control their children's activities on the internet, while the other half does not really attach much importance to this question; 4) in Finland, young people have a lot of experience on the internet and often hide their activities from their parents; 5) in the United Kingdom, parents are very concerned about their children's online activities; 6) in Greece, many parents have a lot to learn to make their children's activities safe in this field.
In conclusion, the extreme dexterity of young people in using new technologies often provokes the feeling amongst their parents that their children are perfectly in control of their online environment. Microsoft underlines the fact that parents sometimes fail to realise the long-term implications of their children's activities. It is therefore essential that parents be informed about their children's activities and use software and instruments available to them for flagging up their children's different online activities. (I.L./transl.fl)