Tim za socijalno uključivanje i smanjenje siromaštva

In Serbia, around 85% of children who use the Internet spend more than one hour a day online; younger children spend most of their time playing video games, while teenagers find social networks the most appealing, this was determined by a survey done by UNICEF and presented on May 10. The survey has shown that the time children spend on the Internet increases noticeably around the age of 10. A quarter of surveyed parents confirmed that they, together with their child, experienced problematic and risky situations on the Internet.

The Survey was conducted on the sample of 614 respondents, parents of children age 8 to 17, the results showed that 17% of parents thinks they know and understand the Internet “very well,” 46% “quite well”, and 31% “not much.”

Statistics show that 85% of children have their own mobile phone, and every other child has its own IT device, PC, laptop computer or a tablet. With these devices, children can independently access the Internet. Interest for the use of the Internet increases among older children, and around 10 years of age the time they spend online becomes noticeably longer.

Among parental concerns, online risks are highly ranked; almost 65% of parents consider the Internet insecure and dangerous. The most dangerous risks from the parental point of view are the exposure to inappropriate contents and online contacts with strangers. At the same time, 73% of parents think that their children are capable of dealing with those risks and potential unpleasant situations on the Internet.

The conclusion and the recommendation of UNICEF are that parents need to be sufficiently educated and informed with regard to the Internet; parents must develop trust and communicate with their children in order to prevent potential Internet risks. One of the conclusions of the survey done by UNICEF is that schools should support parents and children with regard to the protection of children on the Internet, and around 60% of parents think that schools are the most important link in this chain.

Source: Beta, taken from www.euractiv.rs