Irish children are among safest for online behaviour

IRISH children are among the safest in Europe in their internet behaviour but almost one-in-10 has seen sexual images online.

An EU study of children aged nine to 16 found that just 7% of young Irish people have given out their address or phone number on profiles in social networking sites, such as Bebo or Facebook, half the number who have done so across the EU. Almost 60% of children in Ireland and throughout Europe use such sites, according to the research published today.

However, using the internet for school work was most common among all EU children (84% of respondents use it for school), followed by watching video clips (83%), playing games (74%) and communicating through instant messaging or email (61%).

The most common location for accessing the internet is at home, followed by school, but only 35% of Irish children use it in their bedrooms, compared with almost half of all EU pupils. One-in-five children in Ireland access the internet from a handheld device and nearly one-third do so from a mobile phone.

Simon Grehan, internet safety co-ordinator of the National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE) which helped conduct the research here along with Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) and the Centre for Social & Educational Research, said a greater balance is needed between empowerment and protection of children.

The study found that 9% of Irish children have seen sexual images and 4% have been bullied online in the past year. The level of exposure to both risks was lower here than in all but two of the 23 countries involved.

Mr Grehan said children are more likely to encounter risk if they use the internet more, but the study also indicated that greater use facilitates the development of digital literacy and safety skills.

“Children in Ireland were at the lower end of the usage spectrum, they were among the least likely to engage in a range of online activities. This is a concern, as more use brings more opportunities and benefits,” he said.

Mr Grehan said we should be careful not to overstate the potential for harm of the internet.

“Unbalanced headlines and self-serving statements by vested interests have contributed to the climate of anxiety that surrounds new technology and created a fiercely polarised debate in which panic and fear often drown out evidence. This moral hysteria can lead to children being denied the opportunities so obviously offered by these new technologies,” he said.

Brian O’Neill, head of DIT’s school of media, said children are going online younger than before and the youngest children are the ones who find it hardest to cope with upsetting online experiences.

“This is the area where schools, parents, government and industry need to work together to protect and educate,” he said.

The 94% of Irish parents who set rules or restrictions on their children’s internet use was higher than the EU average of 83%.

The EU Kids Online survey found that 70% of parents talk to their children about what they do online and 57% stay nearby when the child is on the internet.