Abstract:

The increased accessibility of the Internet due to the advance of technology also imposes new threats. The number of children, especially the younger ones, who use a variety of devices to connect to the Internet and perform various activities online increase daily. While some parents think that the responsibility to teach their children about safe use of the Internet lies within schools, the school may think exactly the opposite – that it should be the primary concern of parents. It is not uncommon that children, especially the older ones, are more competent internet users than their parents are, therefore for some families monitoring the internet activities of their children becomes a challenge.
The aim of the study is to compare the Internet use and safety online by younger and older children taking into account the support of parents, teachers and friends as children go online. 1012 children aged 9 to 17 years (460 younger children from 9 to 12 years and 552 older children from 13 to 17 years) and one of their parents (624 mothers and 388 fathers) were interviewed using the “EU Kids online” methodology in 2018 in Lithuania. Children were asked about the nature and frequency of internet use, negative experience and feeling of safety online as well as support from parents, teachers and friends as they go online. Parents were asked about children’s negative experience and threats online, how often they provide support, encourage or give advice to use the internet safely, and where from they get information on the safe use of the Internet.
Results showed that younger children spent 4 hours online, while older children spent 5 hours online every day. For both groups the time spent online was one hour longer on days off school. The majority of Lithuanian children use the internet for entertainment and communication purposes. Approximately 75 percent of children indicated that they feel rather safe on the Internet, however the majority indicated having encountered different threats online, with 10 percent of children reported being bullied over the last year in cyberspace. Parents are the main source of support when something bothering or upsetting happens online to the children. Technical support from friends and encouragement to explore and learn new things online from teachers in comparison with parents became more important as children got older. Practical recommendations on who should teach children about how to stay safe online are discussed, keeping in mind that half of parents would like to get more information on safe Internet, and 27 percent of parents indicated receiving such information at child’s school.

Keywords:

Children online, safety online, prevention of cyberbullying, parents' and teachers' support.