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ICANEWS
Octubre 2004, Año 1 # 5 |
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| Parents 'confident' in net safety |
| Adapted from the
BBC News by Mario Gutierrez |
One in five children regularly
use chat rooms
When it comes to keeping children safe on the internet,
most parents now know what they have to do, says a survey.
Some 93% know how to help children surf safely, with 92% saying
access is best supervised, says a BT Yahoo/NOP poll.
"It's clear that the many initiatives about the importance
of safety on the web are having a positive effect," said
BT's Duncan Ingram.
But charity net safety advisor John Carr
said it still meant 7% were not getting the safety message.
Most of those polled said banning
children from using the net was not the right way to keep
them safe, but knowing what steps to take to go online responsibly
was best. "Parents clearly feel more confident about
the safety measures available and the practical steps that
they can take to keep their children safe on the web,"
said Mr. Ingram, BT Yahoo's managing director.
Although the figures were very encouraging, it still meant
thousands of children were not being taught the safe surfing
message.
One of the things about the net is that the number of people
using it is so huge, so even a small percentage is significant.
When the total number of children in different age groups
is taken into consideration - a million nine year olds for
example - that seven percent could account for several thousand
children. The figures were not a signal to become complacent,
and that the battle to raise net safety awareness was not
over. Ultimately all of us have a duty to work with the media,
the government and the rest of industry to continue to promote
safe surfing.
Although the survey showed 92% of parents
thought accompanying children online was best, Mr. Carr emphasized
steps need to be taken to ensure parents are actually supervising
children. Other studies have shown less than a third of parents
do actually sit with their children while online, he said.
Recent research suggests parents also need to be careful in
balancing supervision with respect for their children's privacy.
Children value privacy and liken over-monitoring
by parents to having their pockets searched, Professor Sonia
Livingstone from the London School of Economics has found.
Too much intrusive supervision meant many
children Professor Livingstone spoke to, responded by hiding
activities to outwit parents.
The NOP poll coincides with Parents Online Safety Week, with
events taking place all over the country to reinforce
safety guidelines. |
| Glossary |
charity:
caridad
polled: encuestados
ban: prohibir
complacent: satisfecho
survey: encuesta
liken: comparar
intrusive: invasivo
outwit: valerse de su genio
reinforce: reforzar Top |
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