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Children and the risks of using the Internet

Original title: Kinderen en internetrisico's

As well as benefits, Internet use carries risks. This report looks at the online risks to which 9-16 year-olds in the Netherlands expose themselves. How often do they come into contact with online risks and how often do they themselves find this upsetting? Typical risks when using the Internet are online bullying, receiving sexually tinted images and messages, and meeting strangers in real life after first meeting them online. The study also examines what role digital skills play in the ability of young people to deal with online risks and what influence parents, teachers and friends have. The study was carried out on the basis of data collected in 2010 as part of the EU Kids Online project.

 

Nathalie Sonck is a senior media researcher in the Time, Media and Culture research group at the Netherlands Institute for Social Research/SCP. She specialises in research on media use, and in particular the consequences of Internet use by young people (EU Kids Online), their digital skills and the role of parental mediation strategies.

Jos de Haan is head of the Time, Media and Culture research group at SCP and professor of an endowed chair at Erasmus University Rotterdam. He specialises in research on cultural interests and media use. His recent research on new media focuses on the digital divide, the digital generation and the rise of e-culture.