A new report from OFCOM shows an increasing number of children under 16 now have access to the internet in their own bedroom.
Teens clued up on internet privacy
A new report from OFCOM shows an increasing number of children under 16 now have access to the internet in their own bedroom.
The UK Children’s Media Literacy interim report shows that just over a third (35 per cent) of 12-15 year olds and one in six (16 per cent) 8-11 year olds have their own internet access, and many of them surf the web without the supervision of a parent.
Does the report reveal anything new?
The OFCOM report clearly shows that teenagers are now more aware of social network privacy settings and the need to protect any personal information. Seven out of ten 12-15 year olds now take active steps to protect certain sections of their profiles so that they can only be seen by close friends or members of their own family.
So it seems that high-profile news stories and awareness campaigns from government, social networks and internet service providers that address the issue of online privacy have definitely had a positive effect.
However, the report also highlights that teenagers still lack judgment about the authenticity or trustworthiness of any new website they visit online.
As for parents, although it is commendable that many trust their children to protect themselves online, the report clearly illustrates that some still do not understand the internet filters and controls that are available to them.
Perhaps it is time to use the same techniques used for teenage online safety campaigns and create guidance for parents to improve their online literacy. Best practice suggests that empowering parents to understand and use existing safety tools, as opposed to the heavy-handed approach of highlighting all the dangers of online communication, yields the best results.