Parents worry about Web but don't stop kids' use
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Most U.S. parents said their children had encountered "issues" like bad language, sex or advertising online over the past year, but they are not stopping their kids' Internet use, according to a new study.
A survey by market researcher Harris Interactive of 411 parents of children aged between 6-18 who use the Internet found 71 percent admitted their child had encountered at least "one issue" with the Internet within the past year.
But four out of five parents said the Internet helped their children in school and only three in 10 parents -- or 31 percent -- said their children spent too much time online.
Rather than banning or restricting online access, parents were found to be taking an active role in monitoring their children with 93 percent engaging in some sort of monitoring activity, said the survey released on Tuesday.
"The poll confirms that parents continue to have issues with their kids' Web use, but those issues aren't scaring them away from letting their kids go online," said James Steyer, CEO of Common Sense Media, which commissioned the study with Cable in the Classroom.
The survey, conducted on August 16 and 17, was released a day after New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said his office had subpoenaed Facebook, the social networking site, for not keeping young users safe from sexual predators and not responding to use complaints.
It found that 24 percent of parents reported their kids were exposed to strong language, sexual or violent content online over the past year and 52 percent of parents said their child was exposed to advertising.
But to address these problems 74 percent of parents visited Web sites with their children, 56 percent reported using a filter or blocking software, and 55 percent would visit a Web site before their child.
It also found that 85 percent talked to their children about online safety in the past year.
"We know parents understand that talking to their children about using the Internet is a really important thing to do," said Helen Soule, executive director of Cable in the Classroom.
