Telstra’s latest Cyber Safety report for July 2014, shows clearly that parents are still largely unaware of what their children are doing online, and are urgently in need cyber safety education in order to keep on top of their children’s digital online use.
Quote from the study –
“Generation gap
US research notes the generational gap between children’s and parents’ perceptions of cyber safety oversight:
- 39% of teenagers claim parents monitor closely;
- 84% of parents claim they monitor their teens’ usage very/fairly closely; and
- 91% of parents claim they are
aware of their children’s mobile phone and online usage, teenagers overwhelmingly claim that this is not the case.121″
This report highlights what myself and most other cyber safety educators have been aware of for some time. That the majority of parents are still struggling to keep up with their children’s online world. The majority of parents believe they have it all covered, but their children are saying otherwise.
The fact that kids are claiming in this study that mum and dad are actually not monitoring their online use, when parents believe they are, either means that mum and dad are very sneaky, or that the kids have it “all over” the parents.
Also From the study:
“46% of Australian parents feel they are well informed about cyber safety issues”
“Many parents feel under-equipped to address the numerous and often complex safety issues their children might face online”
“Parents need to become more familiar with the platforms young people use and the attractions of using technology, as well as enhance their own technical skills”
Cyber Safety Talks
Most schools are holding cyber safety talks or “technology nights” for parents. Yet many schools have reported that the amount of parents who attend these talks is very small. I have also heard that some schools have given up holding cyber safety talks for parents due to lack of attendance.
The biggest challenge educators have and the biggest barrier to educating parents on safe online behavior is parent complacency, and parents reluctance to seek or even accept cyber safety education. The study also points out that parents feel overwhelmed by the task of supervising children online. Maybe they simply feel it’s too late to start learning or simply too hard.
This report covers all age groups and is worth reading to understand the cyber safety education competency of all age groups including seniors and what approaches need to be developed to start making some advances in education around the online world.
Some important takeaways from this report:
- Hands on experiential learning, using the technology has a more lasting impact.
- All ages need education programs and more experience with using the technology in a positive way
- Only negative messages about the dangers online is not effective in the long term. Practical solutions in how to use digital technology with safety will work more effectively in the future.
- Media campaigns on cyber safety don’t provide enough education in practical terms, to help users to understand how to use the technology safely.
- For children there is an element of risk associated with internet use, but the risk doesn’t necessarily lead to harm.
See Report Here:
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