There seem to be no shortage of stories about young girls meeting much, much older men over the internet and being involved in activities that are far beyond their years. Despite these stories 68.5% of parents say they allow their children unlimited and unsupervised surfing at home. A mere 40% are aware of who their children are in contact with on social networking sites and 41% are completely satisfied with their children’s conduct on the net. On the other hand, 16% are worried.
Swedish teens on the net
According to a survey carried out of 356 teens between 12-18 and 355 parents with teens between 12-18, 32.5% of teens have at one time taken on a false identity and 18% of girls have used a dating site that they are actually too young for – dramatically increasing the chance of grooming – adults trying to get in contact with children for sexual purposes.
Also according to the survey – 44.5% have at one time downloaded music and movies illegally, or 55.6% for those between 16-18. 26% of teens have logged into someone else’s social network account without permission and 22% have read another family member’s email.
Survey: Swedish Teens Internet Habits: What do parents know?
Trend Micro/Ticketbox.net
Surfa Lugnt (Surf Easy) is a nationwide campaign aimed to spread knowledge about how to avoid viruses, attempts at fraud and other traps on the net. There is also a sub-section that addresses teens on the net. Post & Tele Styrelse, Telia and Microsoft are among those behind the initiative.
Skydda ditt barn på internet (Protect your child on the internet)
is a book written by IT-security expert Per Hellqvist and journalist Dag Öhrlund. They have also included a list of valuable tips (Swedish) to help protect your child on the internet on their website.