February 25, 2014 Kim Field and Brian Jones UOIT EDUC 5205G

Who, What & When? Sonia Livingstone, Leslie Haddon, Anke Gorzig and Kjartan Olafsson with members of the EDU Kids Online Network Over face-to-face interviews with European children and their parents in 25 countries 2009 to 2011 KIDS ONLINE

Why? ❖ To provide a rigorous evidence base to support stakeholders in their efforts to maximise online opportunities for children while minimizing the risk of harm associated with internet use KIDS ONLINE

Because... KIDS ONLINE ❖ Going online is thoroughly embedded in children’s lives ❖ internet use is increasingly individualised, privatised & mobile ❖ 9-10 year old internet users spend an average of 58 minutes online per day ❖ year old internet users spend an average of 118 minutes online per day

Opportunities & Risks KIDS ONLINE OPPORTUNITIESRISK OPPORTUNITIESRISK

The Balancing Act KIDS ONLINE

Online Opportunities INCREASED OPPORTUNITIES = experimenting with relationships, intimacy & identity VITAL to growing up & learning to cope in the adult world KIDS ONLINE BUT INCREASED OPPORTUNITIES = linked to vulnerability & the potential for harm

KIDS ONLINE Risks vs Harm 4 MAIN RISKS: 1.Seeing sexual images 2.Receiving sexual messages 3.Being bullied 4.Meeting online contacts offline HARM: ❖ the child’s self-report of how bothered or upset they felt

KIDS ONLINE Sexual Images & Sexual Messages ❖ 14% of 9-16 year olds have seen sexual images online BUT… only ¼ of these were upset (40% of their parents are unaware) ❖ 11% of year olds have seen nudity online ❖ 8% of year olds have seen someone having sex online ❖ 8% of year olds have seen genitals online ❖ 2% of year olds have seen violent sex online ❖ 2% of year olds have been asked to talk about sexual acts online ❖ 2% of year olds have been asked for an image of their genitals online ❖ 15% of year olds have received sexual messages on their mobile devices BUT… only ¼ of these were upset by this (52% of their parents are unaware) ❖ 3% of year olds have sent sexual messages to someone online ❖ more older children report exposure to sexual content &more males have seen sexual images BUT… younger children and females are more upset by it ❖ a child more who encounters risks offline is more likely to encounter risks online

KIDS ONLINE Sexual Images & Sexual Messages ? These statistics, if replicated today would be similar/the same? ? Parents of yrs are generally unaware of the extent of the sexual images their children have seen online ? ? Low percentages of yrs admit actually being upset by online sexual images and messages. It follows then, that when these images or messages are not directly connected to them that they don’t see it as harmful ? ? Online Sexual images are easily accessible in schools ? ? years olds have little apprehension about sending sexual images of themselves to someone they think they can trust ? Comments?

KIDS ONLINE Online Bullying ❖ 6% of 9-16yrs olds report having been bullied online ❖ 3% of 9-16yrs olds report having bullied other online ❖ 56% of online bullies say they have also bullied people off-line ❖ 55% of online bully victims report being bullied off-line ❖ Those who do not bully others report not being bullied by others off-line or online ❖ Girls reported being more upset by online bullying than boys ❖ 36% of online victims of bullying try to fix the situation themselves ❖ 77% of online victims of bullying tell someone (a friend or a parent) ❖ 46% of online victims block the person sending the hurtful messages What does the EU Kids Online survey tell us?

KIDS ONLINE Online Bullying ? These statistics, if replicated today would be similar/the same? ? There is little connection between whether a person who is a bully online is also a bully off-line ? ? It is easier to be a bully online ? ? In your experience, young people who are not victims of bullying are also not bullies? Comments? What does the EU Kids Online survey tell us?

KIDS ONLINE Meeting New Contacts Online ❖ 50% of 11-16yrs old find it easier to be themselves online than face-to-face ❖ 87% of 11-16yrs olds are in touch with people online that they have met in person first ❖ 30% of 11-16yrs olds are in touch with people online who they have not met face-to-face ❖ 9% have gone to an off-line meeting with someone they met online for the first time ❖ 48% of 11-16yrs old who have met a person off-line (whom they met online) meet a person not connected to their life previous to their online connection ❖ 61% of of 11-16yrs old who have met a person off-line (whom they met online) have parents who are unaware of this meeting ❖ In an adult’s view, young people “meeting strangers on-line” is a risk ❖ In a young person’s view, “meeting new friends on-line” is an opportunity. ❖ Some young people who meet a person off-line whom they met online are: sensation seekers, engagers of risky behaviour both on-line and off-line & have parents/guardians who place fewer restrictions on their internet use. ❖ 11% of 11-16yrs who met someone off-line (whom they met online) were bothered or upset by what happened (they were also more likely to be younger, have psychological difficulties and tended to be more vulnerable children

KIDS ONLINE Meeting New Contacts Online ? As adults, meeting people off-line whom you’ve met online is risky ? ? As young people, meeting people off-line who you’ve met online is risky? ? As adults, meeting people on-line is an opportunity? ? As young people, meeting strangers on-line is an opportunity? ? As adults, meeting strangers on-line is risky? Comments?

Predator’s Playground ❖ Next steps? ❖ What can we do? (Parent, Teacher, Administrator, Policy Maker etc.)

Policy Implications Bullying: 1) Anti-bullying initiatives should be included in the promotion of internet use 2) on-line and off-line bullying is related and victims find it hard to escape 3) bullies have been victims themselves 4) education is needed because fewer than half tell another adult and fewer than half know how to block the person or delete their messages Online Use: 1) Privatized (private locations); therefore, hard to supervise 2) restrict the internet vs finding other activities to do (inside and outside the home) Social networking: 1)Privacy/safety settings are not user-friendly, 2)age restrictions can not be monitored Contacts on line: 1) Parents’ awareness of what their child is up to is key

Recommendations Page 44/45 (Government, Industry, Awareness-raising, Children, Educators, Child Welfare, & Civil Society) A)Schools should take major responsibility for supporting children and their parents in gaining digital literacy and safety skills B) Digital literacy and safety skills should be woven into curriculum C) Expose children to a wider diversity of online activities while teaching critical literacy and safety skills D)Children will tell peers when something upsets them, therefore schools should focus on peer mentoring. EDUCATORS

KIDS ONLINE Newer Risks USER-GENERATED CONTENT Hate sites Pro-anorexic sites Non-suicidal self-harm sites Drug forums Suicide sites PERSONAL DATA MISUSE Identity theft Personal information abuse Financial cheating

What children do online the “ladder of opportunities” school work & games 100% of children 75% of children 86% of children 56% of children 23% of children add watching video clips for information & entertainment add interactivity (social networking, instant messaging & ) add downloading films & music and sharing content via webcam or message boards add visiting chat rooms, file-sharing, blogging and spending time in a virtual world KIDS ONLINE