"...teenagers’ use of the Internet plays a major role in their relationships with their friends, their families, and their schools. Teens and their parents generally think Internet enhances the social life and academic work of children. However, there are aspects of the Internet that cause strain and make children and their parents worry that these technologies are not an unqualified good in teens’ lives.
Teens are generally intense users of instant messaging technology, and use it as well as other online spaces and tools to play with and manage their online identities. Parents and their children often do not agree about the place of the Internet in their home.
Many parents say they enforce time limits on their children’s use of the Internet, but most teens do not say they have limits.
At times, the role of the Internet at home generates struggles and arguments between parents and teens. Both generations agree that teens know more than their parents about the Internet. They also agree that there are reasons for concern about the impact of the Internet on all teens. Some 57% of parents worry that strangers will contact their children online. These worries are well grounded. Close to 60% of teens have received an instant message or an email from a stranger and 50% report emailing or instant messaging with someone they have not met before. Despite this, teens themselves are not particularly worried about strangers online.
Parents respond to these worries by checking up on their children and sitting down with them on occasion while they are online, and other precautions to keep them safe online.
There is also strong agreement among parents and teens that use of the Internet helps youth at school.
In addition to being a key resource for school, material on the Web teaches children in other ways. It helps establish their tastes and fills in their gaps of knowledge on sensitive subjects."
www.pewinternet.org (adapted)
No comments:
Post a Comment