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Parents Need Internet Education Urgently

29 Apr 2005

The fact that technology is evolving very fast isn’t all that advantageous for everyone who gets in touch with it. Very often, regular people are sort of deprived access to and can’t or won’t participate in the daily electronical chaos. A recent study has shown that some ‘parents in general’ who have no or little feeling with internet and all it’s technological advantages are more likely to shut off the entry to this medium for their kids too. That easily puts those kids behind in the classroom and could have a very negative impact on their educational progress or employment opportunities.

Those parents are in most cases less affluent and have had no or very little training or experience with electronic and digital technology themselves. This situation has made them suspicious and has caused some sort of ‘fear for the unknown’. Natural protective behaviour makes those parents try to forestall the development of their kids in this field.

Lack of education is one reason, but money certainly is another. The offspring of the technological (r)evolution costs quite some valuta too.
New ‘Super Media Computers’ cost about a month’s pay, the set-up cost of a decent connection and the recurring monthly fees frighten a lot of
folks in the lower and middle middle class. The majority has massive pay-offs to do for a house and a car. School for the children is expensive already; This multi media computer with broadband connection unfortunately isn’t always on top of the list. A huge disadvantage for the kids, no doubt.

Sonia Livingstone, professor of social psychology for LSE’s media and communications department recently got interviewed by Steve Ranger of Silicon.com. C|Net has posted the entire article.

“Now that many young people rely on the Internet for information, homework help and careers guidance, the more it matters that some of them are getting left behind,” said Sonia Livingstone, professor of social psychology for LSE’s media and communications department. “Not knowing how to best use the Internet may have a negative impact on their education and employment opportunities.”

“Of the parents we surveyed, 18 percent–nearly a fifth–said they don’t know how to help their children use the Internet safely.”

“The report added that “fearful parents may take too rigorous an approach to restricting online access completely and thereby leave their children less aware of online risks, such as chat room dangers, when they do use the Internet.”

Click here to read it on C|Net.
Click here for Silicon

 
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Posted by Miel Van Opstal in Ethics

 

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