More than 95 Percent of Parents Monitor Their Children’s Online Activities

Newswise — Concerned about child predators and vast amounts of questionable content on the Internet, more than 95 percent of America’s parents say they monitor their children’s online activities, The Conference Board reports today.

The Conference Board’s latest Consumer Internet Barometer, a quarterly measure of who’s doing what on the Internet, finds that three out of four parents say they are in the room when their children go online. The Barometer is produced by The Conference Board and TNS NFO, a division of TNS, the world’s largest custom research company, and covers 10,000 households.

“The fear of their children being exposed to inappropriate content and child predators while online is prompting nearly all parents to monitor their children’s Internet activities,” says Lynn Franco, Director of The Conference Board’s Consumer Research Center. “But, given the seriousness of these concerns, parents are more likely to personally monitor their children than rely on technology to safeguard them.”

WHO’S WATCHING THE KIDS? AND WHY?

Monitoring tends to be either in the family/living area or den – the most common areas where personal computers are located. More than a third of parents manually check the Web browser history, significantly more than use blocking software or rely on their ISP service to monitor their child’s activities.

While there were several reasons given for monitoring Internet usage among children, the top concern most frequently voiced by parents was exposure to inappropriate content. Also cited as a major reason for monitoring activities: fear of child predators online.

“It is not surprising that most parents monitor their children’s use of the Web to some degree,” says David Stark, TNS’ Privacy Officer for North America. “Only one-quarter of adult Internet users say they trust the Internet and many are concerned about the safety of their own personal information when doing various activities online.”

SURFING FOR KNOWLEDGE NOW TOPS SURFING FOR FUN

Nearly two out of every five online households include children under the age of 18, and close to 60 percent of these children access the Internet from home. Among pre-schoolers, the Internet is used almost exclusively as a source of entertainment.

From the first grade on, however, activities broaden and the Internet becomes both an entertainer and an educator. Among kids aged 6-12, close to three-quarters log on to complete school assignments, but an even greater proportion log on for fun. By the time they are teenagers, school-related surfing has become the top Internet activity, though the pursuit of fun remains high on the list.

For teenagers, communication also plays an important role. Three out of every four communicate via email and about 63 percent via instant messaging. In addition, music is also very important and downloading music is significantly more prevalent among teenagers than younger children.

Parents do not allow their children to use the Internet unchecked. Less than a quarter of parents have imposed no time restrictions. Among the majority that have, the most likely reasons are: a desire for their child to engage in some physical activity; they don’t want their child in front of a computer screen for long periods of time; the PC is shared with others in the households.

About This Survey:

The Consumer Internet Barometer is based on a quarterly survey of 10,000 households. A unique sample is surveyed each quarter. Return rates average 70 percent, which ensures highly representative data. Data is weighted as well to reflect the latest U.S. household demographic information. The latest survey was conducted during the third quarter of 2004.

About TNS

TNS is one of the world's leading providers of market information. The company delivers strategic market measurement, analysis, insight and advice to many of the world’s largest organizations and most recognized brands. TNS’ research helps its clients better understand the needs and wants of their customers, and its capabilities span market segmentation, advertising and communications, new product development, brand performance and stakeholder management. The company is also one of the leading providers of social and political polling. From its global network that spans 70 countries who together conduct research in more than 110 countries, TNS allows for local expertise and knowledge to be combined together with internationally consistent information and analysis.

TNS is listed on the London Stock Exchange (TNN) and is a trademark of Taylor Nelson Sofres plc. Further information can be found on http://www.tns-global.com.

The Conference Board (http://www.conference-board.org)

The Conference Board is the leading global business knowledge network for the world’s largest corporations. The Conference Board is dedicated to helping companies improve performance and strengthening the role of business in society. More than 2,000 companies in 60 countries are members of The Conference Board, which produces the Consumer Confidence Index, the Help-Wanted Index and Business Cycle Indicators for nine countries worldwide.