Aussie Parents Find Facebook a Distraction From Homework

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By SLJ Staff July 20, 2010
Social networking sites like Facebook. MySpace, and Twitter keep students from their studies, say more than half of Australian parents who took part in a recent study commissioned by Telstra, the Melbourne-based telecommunications and media company.

The "Cyber-safety Research Report" questioned parents with kids between the ages of 10 to 17 and found that the problem was even more pronounced among 14 to 17-year-olds, with 65 percent of caregivers reporting that social networking is an occasional or frequent distraction that kept kids from doing their homework.

It's not surprising since 84 percent of older teens use social networking sites, compared to 49 percent of 10- to 13-year-olds, the report says. Still, one quarter of parents estimate that their kids spend at least seven hours a week-the equivalent of one hour a day-of their spare time on sites like Facebook.

However, the majority of parents-62 percent-of those who use social networking don't feel the use of these sites have a negative impact on their child's health or wellbeing.

The report, led by cyber-safety expert Martyn Wild, managing director of SuperClubsPLUS Australia, a social networking site geared toward six to 12 year olds, encourages parents to place computers in living rooms or other communal family areas to keep younger kids focused on their studies.

"You wouldn't let your kids stay out socializing with their friends until all hours on a school night, but that is exactly what they are doing online, often right under their parents' noses," Wild says. "The answer is not turning off Internet access, rather it's about implementing simple behavioral changes in your children and setting realistic expectations about their use of the Internet."

Wild, however, says when it comes to older students, parents need to trust them to exercise their own judgment about balancing online play and school work.

"As sites like Facebook continue to grow in popularity, parents should set 'house rules' and help their children learn responsible online behaviors just as they do in regards to their non-Internet lives," Wild says. "I don't suggest you become an 'Internet big brother,' just be aware of when and what your kids are doing online and be prepared to set realistic guidelines"

Indeed, Wild says computers are indispensible educational tools that are essential for all levels of study. "However it is important they are used to enhance rather than distract students from their school studies, especially in those vital secondary years."

Telstra has updated its cyber-safety website to include new tips to help guide parents monitor their children's social networking habits. They include supervising, guiding, and staying involved in all aspects of kids' Internet use; establishing social networking rules such as completing homework before logging onto sites like Twitter or Facebook or restricting the use of these sites after a certain time during the school week.

The Telstra Cyber-safety Research Report was conducted by telephone among a national sample of 501 parents of children aged 10 to 17 in May 2010.

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