Study Finds 60% of Australian Primary Schoolers Are Talking to Friends Online<\/p>\n
In a new study of 6\u20139 year olds\u2019 online activities, AVG, one of the world\u2019s largest providers of consumer security software, reveals the urgent need for parents to teach cyber safety.<\/p>\n
Melbourne and Amsterdam, 2 June 2011 \u2014 AVG (AU\/NZ) Pty Ltd, the distributor of the award-winning AVG anti-virus and Internet security software in Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific, has released the latest AVG Digital Diary which tracked early childhood technology usage trends over the course of the last year.<\/p>\n
Lloyd Borrett, Security Evangelist of AVG (AU\/NZ) said: \u201cThe data in the latest wave of AVG\u2019s research is compelling. It clearly shows that we have to start talking to our children about online safety before we hand them an internet-enabled device.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re probably all guilty of handing on a mobile phone or computer to our child with the only hint of concern being for the device itself. That needs to change. We must approach our children\u2019s first exposures to technology like we do other risky activities and instil a culture of safety. We wouldn\u2019t teach our children to ride a bike without a helmet, or ride in a car without a seat belt.<\/p>\n
\u201cLikewise parents need appropriate tools for teaching young children about the risks of the Internet and to put them on a path that will seed a lifetime of good practices,\u201d Borrett said.<\/p>\n
Approximately half of the 6-9 year old children surveyed are regularly talking to their friends online and using social networks. Yet 58 per cent of their parents admit they are not well-informed about their children\u2019s online social networks.<\/p>\n
The Digital Playground, the third stage of AVG\u2019s year-long Digital Diaries research program, further delves into the increasingly digitally-literate group of 6-to-9-year olds and their parents in Australia, New Zealand, the northern hemisphere and Japan to find that:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Australian children average 3.9 hours online each week, which is more than the worldwide average of 3.5 hours per week.<\/p>\n
\u2022 A staggering 60 per cent of Australian 6-to-9-year-olds use some kind of kids\u2019 social network such as Club Penguin, Moshi Monsters or WebKinz.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Australian children are the highest users of email at 28 per cent, against the one in five global average use.<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Forty-four per cent of Australian 6 to 9-year-olds talk to their friends on the Internet. On balance, parents of children that do talk to friends via the Internet feel that this has a positive impact on their social skills.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Despite being under age, 12 per cent of Australian 6 to 9-year-olds are on Facebook, according to their parents. While this figure does not mean they have profiles, they are still using the functionality.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Cyber bullying, what their parents considered objectionable or aggressive online behaviour, has been experienced by 13 per cent of Australian children surveyed.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Across those surveyed, almost one in six 6-to-9-year-olds and one in five 8-to-9-year olds have experienced cyber bullying. The problem gets worse as the kids get older.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Gratifyingly only 2 per cent of parents admit they do not know what they\u2019re children are doing online, but 58 per cent are still not fully-informed nor understand their children\u2019s online social networks.<\/p>\n
\u2022 62 per cent of Australian households have parental controls or safety programs in place on their family computers, which is above the global average of 56 per cent. This indicates there are still too many un-supervised online activities.<\/p>\n
There is an added benefit to focusing on young children. By inculcating the right behaviours from the beginning, Borrett believes the next generation of young users could be instrumental in battling Internet crime.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we instituted car seat and seat belt laws, we may have \u2018regulated\u2019 adults but in the process we created a generation of children that grew up with the mindset that seatbelts were simply a routine part of riding in a car,\u201d Borrett said. \u201cI think we can do the same thing with Internet safety and very quickly drive a cultural shift that ultimately will begin to close the doors on cyber crime.\u201d<\/p>\n
Link to diary results<\/p>\n
Australian digital playground infographic: (Adode PDF, 2.4 Mb)
\nhttp:\/\/www.avg.com.au\/files\/media\/avg_digital_playground_AU.pdf<\/p>\n
AVG (AU\/NZ) has a comprehensive range of security tips on its web site at http:\/\/www.avg.com.au\/resources\/security-tips\/. For video tips from AVG (AU\/NZ), see http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/avgaunz.<\/p>\n
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Study Finds 60% of Australian Primary Schoolers Are Talking to Friends Online In a new study of 6\u20139 year olds\u2019 online activities, AVG, one of the world\u2019s largest providers of consumer security software, reveals the urgent need for parents to teach cyber safety. Melbourne and Amsterdam, 2 June 2011 \u2014 AVG (AU\/NZ) Pty Ltd, the<\/p>\n