Parents: Internet Is a Double-Edged Sword

Study finds that the Web has replaced TV as the biggest media threat to kids' safety

By Debra Lau Whelan -- School Library Journal, 7/1/2006

Move over TV, parents now think the Internet poses the biggest media threat to their kids, says a new study by the nonprofit media watchdog Common Sense Media. But at the same time, 77 percent of moms and dads recognize that the Web is crucial to learning, and an overwhelming 91 percent admit that it helps their kids explore things they're passionate about.

“Parents clearly are conflicted. It's a double-edged sword,” says James Steyer, Common Sense Media's chief executive officer. “Parents view the Internet as a learning tool but are scared that they do not know how to make it safer for their kids.”

Some 85 percent of parents say the Web is more dangerous than television, with 80 percent saying that they worry about their children's exposure to online sexual predators. More than half—53 percent—say their teens accidentally found inappropriate content while conducting an online search. And 70 percent say the Web exposes their children to values they disagree with or to ideas their kids aren't ready to see.

Not surprisingly, parents are more concerned about instantaneous communication such as IM and chat rooms than they are about e-mail. Sixty percent say they know all the people who their kids e-mail, compared to only 25 percent who know people their kids communicate with in chat rooms. Only 52 percent say they know their kids' IM passwords, but 70 percent know their e-mail passwords. “The Internet is a wonderful but scary tool–children must be monitored,” says one parent who took the poll.

Indeed, the hand-wringing also extends to the way parents feel about their children's online behavior. While 95 percent say they trust what their kids tell them about their online activities, 88 percent admit that knowing what their kids are looking at on the Web is more important than respecting their privacy. Overall, however, 69 percent agree that the benefits of the Internet outweigh its dangers.

Who's responsible for kids' online safety? Eighty-two percent say that parents should be accountable and that there's no excuse for not knowing enough information to protect kids. Nearly 90 percent of parents seek out information about their kids' Internet use a few times a month, and almost all, 98 percent, say they trust their own instincts when it comes to their fears about the Internet.

The poll, conducted May 5–10, involved parents with 11- to 16-year-olds who go online at least once a week. The report comes in advance of a national TV, print, and online campaign by Common Sense Media to help keep children safe during Internet use. Visit www.commonsense.com for “The Internet Survival Guide for Parents,” which includes tips for adults and teens in print or as a downloadable PDF file.