A new survey of Internet use by tweens (10 to 13 year olds) revealed that parents are doing a good job monitoring their children’s online behavior, including talking to them and setting guidelines and restrictions for Internet use on home computers. Yet there is room for improvement, especially when it comes to keeping tweens safer when they use mobile and other connected devices. John Walsh, child advocate and former host of America’s Most Wanted, unveiled the survey during a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. on June 24.

Later, Walsh also discussed the results of Cox's new survey on the behavior of young people online, engage teens from around the country in a panel discussion to gather candid feedback on how teens use the Internet and wireless devices to communicate, and get tips from teens on how they can encourage safer use among their peers.

Parents used to only have to worry about monitoring the home computer to keep their kids safer online. But today, Internet use is doubling every two years, and kids have access to the Internet through mobile devices, such as smartphones, handheld games, game consoles and tablets. The average family uses five Internet-enabled devices at home.

The Tween Internet Safety Survey, commissioned by Cox Communications in partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), found that nearly all tweens (95 percent) use mobile devices to go online.

Mobile devices and gaming consoles are widely used by tweens to access web content, and the survey revealed a lack of guidelines and controls on these devices that can leave tweens vulnerable. While 68 percent of parents surveyed said they monitored their child’s Internet behavior on mobile devices, the survey showed that only 1 in 5 (17 percent) actually use basic parental control features such as age appropriate web content filtering on smartphones, tablets and game consoles.
 
“We applaud the efforts parents are making to keep their kids safe online, but we all must remain vigilant and proactive when it comes to knowing what children are accessing on the web and the devices they are using,” said Ernie Allen, NCMEC president and CEO. “Educating parents about the potential risks their children face online and empowering them to take simple preventive steps is critical to helping keep families safe.”

Watch the Channel 8 (KLAS) news story that appeared in June about the study by clicking here. For more information about Cox and Take Charge, the company’s community outreach campaign to empower parents and caregivers to manage their children’s access to mass media content using parental controls, go here.