Children Online - The Statistics
(Source: Web Wise Kids)
These statistics are alarming, but parents do have tools to help prevent problems with their online children. The first tool is knowledge. CyberAngels wants to help make parents informed on Internet issues so that they can create plans of action for their own family use of the Internet. The second tool is communication. By tackling issues before they occur, parents are able to encourage an atmosphere of trust within the family circle. The third tool is software - we can help families choose appropriate software programs for their home computers that will help parents monitor and block inappropriate material and programs on their computer.
The Internet is a marvelous tool and a wonderful resource - and just as you teach your child basic safety principles before allowing them to cook unsupervised in a kitchen, you'll want to teach them how to stay safe online! There are risks, but they are minimized when parents take the time to learn about the online world their children are spending time in. Check out our classes and web-pages for more information, and you may just find that the Internet is something you and your child can enjoy together!
- 28% of online teens say they use code words on a daily basis to hide online conversations from their parents (Teen Research Unlimited, "Topline Findings from Omnibuzz Research." October 2005.)
- More than one fourth (27%) of teens report that they have talked online about sex with someone they have never met in person (Teen Research Unlimited, "Topline Findings from Omnibuzz Research." October 2005).
- 81% of parents of online teens say that teens aren't careful enough when giving out information about themselves online and 79% of online teens agree with this (Pew Internet and American Life Project, "Protecting Teens Online". March 17, 2005).
- 65% of all parents and 64% of all teens say that teens do things online that they wouldn't want their parents to know about (Pew Internet and American Life Project, "Protecting Teens Online." March 17, 2005).
- 75% of teens use Instant Messaging compared to 42% of adults (Pew Internet and American Life Project, "Teens and Technology." July 27, 2005).
- 40% of online sexual solicitations of youth begin with an Instant Message (Wolak, J., Mitchell, K., & Finkelhor, D. (2006). Online victimization of youth: Five years later. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Bulletin - #07-06-025. Alexandria, VA ).
- About one-third of youth (34%) admit to regularly communicating online with people they did not know in person (Wolak, J., Mitchell, K., & Finkelhor, D. (2006). Online victimization of youth: Five years later. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Bulletin - #07-06-025. Alexandria, VA ).
- 45% of aggressive sexual solicitations (in which the solicitor requests contact with the child in real life) happens to youth when they were online with their friends (Wolak, J., Mitchell, K., & Finkelhor, D. (2006). Online victimization of youth: Five years later. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Bulletin - #07-06-025. Alexandria, VA ).
- One out of every 3 youth has encountered unwanted sexual material while online (Wolak, J., Mitchell, K., & Finkelhor, D. (2006). Online victimization of youth: Five years later. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Bulletin - #07-06-025. Alexandria, VA ).
- 44% of online aggressive sexual solicitations of youths are now coming from other youths under age 17 that the victim knows in real life (Wolak, J., Mitchell, K., & Finkelhor, D. (2006). Online victimization of youth: Five years later. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Bulletin - #07-06-025. Alexandria, VA).
- Over half (51%) of parents either do not have, or do not know if they have, software on their computers to monitor where their teenagers go online and with whom they interact. (Cox Communications and The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, "Parents' Internet Monitoring Study," February 2005).
- Only 5% of youths who receive a sexual solicitation indicated that they reported the incident to law enforcement, school authorities, their Internet service provider, or their parents (Wolak, J., Mitchell, K., & Finkelhor, D. (2006). Online victimization of youth: Five years later. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Bulletin - #07-06-025. Alexandria, VA).
These statistics are alarming, but parents do have tools to help prevent problems with their online children. The first tool is knowledge. CyberAngels wants to help make parents informed on Internet issues so that they can create plans of action for their own family use of the Internet. The second tool is communication. By tackling issues before they occur, parents are able to encourage an atmosphere of trust within the family circle. The third tool is software - we can help families choose appropriate software programs for their home computers that will help parents monitor and block inappropriate material and programs on their computer.
The Internet is a marvelous tool and a wonderful resource - and just as you teach your child basic safety principles before allowing them to cook unsupervised in a kitchen, you'll want to teach them how to stay safe online! There are risks, but they are minimized when parents take the time to learn about the online world their children are spending time in. Check out our classes and web-pages for more information, and you may just find that the Internet is something you and your child can enjoy together!
