Online Fears Growing

Some 63 percent of school librarians say the Internet is becoming more dangerous for kids, with pornography taking the lead as the number-one threat.

The survey “Schools and Generation 'Net” reports that 45 percent of educators say pornography is a great or significant online danger, while 43 percent gave that rating to online predators.

Media specialists also worry about students' ability to judge Web resources. When asked to rate the information literacy skills of their students, only four percent said they “strongly agreed” that kids were equipped to think critically about the accuracy, authority, and possible biases of the sites they encounter.

“The old adage 'don't judge a book by its cover' has a new depth in meaning,” says Dee Jae Arnett, a media specialist at Sam Brannan Middle School in Sacramento, CA.

Meanwhile, 88 percent say they “strongly” or “somewhat” agree that teachers need more information literacy training to help students properly navigate information on the Web.