The Parent-Child Gap: Bridging the Digital
Divide
A communication gap
between parents and children has always existed and the Internet has widened
the chasm. This generation is the first to grow up "plugged in." New
access to the world, combined with the technological anxiety that many adults
face, has turned the gap into a Digital Divide. i-SAFE
America surveyed parents and students in grades 5 through 12. The results
confirm a Digital Divide that will swallow our kids if nothing is done. Here
are the parents' beliefs verses the students' reality.
Parents’ Beliefs
- 87% say they have established rules for their kids
Internet use
- 54% feel they are limited to monitor and shelter their
kids from inappropriate material on the Internet
- 69% feel they know a lot about what their kids do on
the Internet
- 31% have disciplined their child because of their
Internet use
2003-05 i-SAFE survey of 4,500 parents
Students’ Reality
- 36% say parents or guardians have NOT made rules for
their use of the Internet
- 41% do NOT share what they do and where they go on the
Internet with their parents
- 29% say their parent or guardian would disapprove if
they knew what they were doing on the Internet
- 36% have NOT discussed how to be safe on the Internet
with their parent or guardian
- 22% say the computer they use most often is in their
room
- 73% say there is a need for kids and teens to learn
about Internet safety
2003-05 i-SAFE survey of 55,000 students
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