Ever wonder exactly what all those wired teens are doing online?
A new study conducted by Norton Online Living Report found that kids spend nearly 20 hours a week online. This might come as a shock to parents who guessed that their kids spend about 2 hours a week online.
The Norton Online Living Report survey was conducted online within eight countries (US, UK, Australia, Germany, France, Brazil, China, and Japan) by Symantec.
So what are teens doing online? Here are some other interesting facts from the Norton Study:
- Making friends. About a third (35 percent) of US online children age 8-17 have made friends online. That percentage increases as kids get older: 50 percent of US teens age 13-17 report making online friends. Some 33 percent of kids 8-17 report that they prefer to spend at least as much time with their online friends as their offline friends.
- Social-networking. More than three fourths (76 percent) of US teens age 13-17 "constantly," "frequently" or "sometimes" visit social-networking sites. Worldwide, about half of boys (51 percent) and girls (48 percent) do so.
- Shopping. About one in three US children (35 percent) report being "very confident" or "confident" in shopping online. That number is 69 percent among children in China.
- Fielding requests for personal information. About four in 10 (42 percent) US teens age 13-17 say they have received an online request for personal information.
- Being approached by strangers. Though US adults estimate that 6 percent of their children have been approached online by a stranger, 16 percent of US children report being approached.
One of the most surprising bits of research from this study was that 41% of U.S. teens ages 13-17 years old stated that their parent have no idea what they are doing online. Clearly, when it comes to social computing, there is a generational disconnect between parents and teens.
And while the dangers of social networks and digital life may be overstated, there is still a need for parents to be actively engaged and aware of what their children are doing online.
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