Recent research by EU Kids Online found that unlike 2010, European 11 to 16 year olds will be more likely to be exposed online to:
hate messages
pro-anorexia sites
self-harm sites
cyberbullying (which has become increasingly common in secondary schools via mobile phones, blogs, chat rooms and social networking sites)
online content that they find extremely troubling.
Other potential issues include:
grooming
the early sexualisation of childhood
predatory paedophiles
inappropriate postings on social networks.
It furthermore important that commercial risks are not ignored. Children are increasingly exposed to immersive advertising, pop-ups and banner adverts, unsuspectingly running up mobile bills, downloading illegal content and viruses along with the marketing of merchandise through virtual worlds.
EU Kids Online also found that kids are accessing the internet on more personal devices such as mobile phones and tablets, in places other than home (primarily due to Wifi) from increasingly younger ages. It appears therefore that the risks that youngsters are confronted with when going online are on the rise.
Children themselves report caring about the risks they are in contact with whilst online and the worries of those children surveyed included:
Coming across pornography
Violent, aggressive or cruel content
Violence with the most vulnerable members of society such as children and animals
Girls particularly report worries about contact risks.
It is therefore more important than ever to take into consideration what additionally are doing when they are online and the steps which has been taken to ensure that they’re safe.
What do children on the internet?
The most favored online activities for 11 to 16 year olds were discovered by EU Kids Online to be:
Visiting a social networking profile
Using im
Watching video clips
Using the online world to complete schoolwork
Playing games with early arthritis is sometimes on the online world.
The least popular activities included:
Creating a character, pet or avatar
Using file sharing sites
Spending quantity of virtual worlds
Using a webcam.
However, the net is discovered increasingly innovative and diverse ways in fact it i important maintain to date with the methods in which your babies are using their devices.