| What children really do on the Net
· Homework and projects These are the key reasons why children access the Internet, records a survey by NFO Interactive. The survey also revealed that, on average, children spend only 10 per cent of their time surfing the Web – almost the same amount of time they devote to reading books. Furthermore, an NOP survey shows that almost half of British children regularly use the Internet and most do so from home. One in three children gain access to the Internet at school; and less than 20 per cent of children found something on the Internet they believe was ‘rude’. Don't fall for the stereotype myth that most young Internet users are male teenagers keen to access sites they might call ‘stimulating’. Why? Because almost two thirds of Internet users under 18 are female (findings by Fletcher Research).
Attitudes The findings are backed by research from the US National School Boards Foundation which showed there was a significant improvement in attitudes towards school attendance in children who used the Internet. The conclusion you can draw from all the facts and figures is that the vast majority of children use the Internet as an education and communications tool. Few of them are exposed to inappropriate sites and most find the Internet enjoyable and helpful. Even so, parents worry, largely because of the media hype surrounding the more disturbing aspects of the Net. Sex, violence and extreme politics are the sites that usually concern parents; and society in general worries about the effects on children who sit endlessly in front of a PC screen. Weren’t these same fears expressed some fifty years ago, about television…?
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