The research was conducted as part of Safer Internet Day, which took place on Tuesday, 5 February. This day is held annually to promote safe and responsible internet use among young people.
The research shows that the majority of parents (60%) know what keeps their children occupied online, and they say they discuss this with their children at least weekly (56%).
“We see that Dutch parents have taken significant steps when it comes to raising children in the online world. Compared with a few years ago, they know much better what risks their children may encounter online,” says Marjolijn Bonthuis of Safer Internet Centre Netherlands. “That is positive and at the same time urgently needed when we look at the research results. For example, a quarter of young people (27%) say they have been harassed online one or more times, and almost the same percentage say they have been bullied online at some point. We especially want to encourage parents to remain alert to new online developments, such as the rise of online challenges and threatening chain letters that children may receive via WhatsApp. If parents are aware of them, they are better conversation partners for their children and can anticipate unpleasant events where necessary.”
Concerns about young people's online activities
Parents are most concerned that their child may encounter online content that he or she is not yet ready for (58%). About half of the parents (51%) are somewhat concerned that their children may be harassed online, and four in ten are concerned that they may be bullied (44%). Those concerns are justified, as this has happened one or more times to more than one-fifth of teenagers (27% and 21%, respectively). The research further shows that one-third of parents are somewhat concerned about threatening chain letters (33%). The same percentage of young people say they have received a threatening chain letter at least once, such as a coercive WhatsApp request to transfer money to avoid unpleasant consequences.
Gaming
One-third of parents (32.4%) are concerned about the influence games have on their child, for example in terms of aggression or addiction. Almost 40% of young people say that their parents think they play too many games. Boys feel that they spend (somewhat) too much time gaming significantly more often (58% vs. 25%) than girls. In addition, 56% of parents think that their son or daughter spends too much time on their mobile phone.
Girls versus boys
Girls are more often affected than boys by online issues that are unacceptable. In every area – threatening chain letters (41% vs. 24%), being harassed (32% vs. 21%), bullying (25% vs. 16%), and content that frightens them (38% vs. 24%) – girls are more frequently targeted.
Another notable finding is that half of young people (50%) say they usually want to respond to a message immediately. Moreover, to avoid missing a message, three in eight Dutch teenagers (36%) make sure they always have an internet connection.
About the research
As part of Safer Internet Day, research was conducted to gain insight into the opinions of Dutch young people and their parents regarding their mobile and internet use. A total of 1,085 parents of children aged 12 to 17 and 1,025 young people aged 12 to 17 took part in the research. The research was commissioned by Safer Internet Centre Netherlands, a partnership between three organizations: ECP | Platform for the Information Society (with the website Veiliginternetten.nl), the Expertise Bureau for Online Child Abuse and Mediawijzer.net. View the highlights of the research here.
About Safer Internet Day
Safer Internet Day is an initiative of the European Commission. On this annual day, attention is drawn in more than 100 countries worldwide to safe and responsible internet use by young people. Click here for more information about Safer Internet Day.
Other relevant websites on the subject include:
www.meldknop.nl, www.veiliginternetten.nl, www.betterinternetforkids.eu, www.helpwanted.nl, www.mediawijzer.net