In the News
Parents, Kids and the Internet
The Pew Internet and American Life Project found that 59 percent of Americans with children ages 12 to 17 think the Internet has a positive effect on their lives, a drop from 67 percent in a similar survey in 2006.
Amanda Lenhart, a senior research specialist, said of parents: "They are realizing the Internet is something with good and bad things...Time use is seen as problematic for reasons related to obesity, but parents are more concerned about keeping their children sheltered and safe from a lot of the images and things that come through the content on the Internet."
44 ½
Number of hours, per week that American kids (8–18) spend in front of video screens. |
The survey also found that children saw computers and gadgets as more helpful to their lives than parents did. Among parents, mothers were more likely to praise technology (Anick Jesdanun "Study: Parents More Ambivalent About Net," Associated Press, Oct. 24, 2007).