p2pnet.net News:- Both teens and parents believe teens, “do things on the internet” their, “parents wouldn’t approve of ,” says a report.

The 1998 federal Child Online Protection Act (COPA) requires web sites with “material harmful to minors” to use some kind of age verification system, such as asking for credit card information, to ensure site visitors are 18 or older, says a new the Pew Internet & American Life Project study.

The American Civil Liberties Union and other civil rights groups sued the US government, arguing COPA is unconstitutional and infringes on the free speech and privacy rights of adults.

“The case bounced through the court system until last June, when the Supreme Court ruled that the law’s constitutionality should be weighed in a full trial in the federal district in Philadelphia and that the ban on enforcement should continue,” says Pew.

The case will probably begin later this year and a major issue centers on internet filters used to block access to certain Web sites and screen content. How often are such filters used? And how effective are they in blocking access to material thought to be "objectionable or harmful" to children?”

Pew surveyed of 1,100 people aged 12 to 17 and 1,100 parents shows 54% of internet-connected families now use some sort of Net filter or monitoring software, up from 41% from 2000, the most recent time surveyed on the issue.

“In all, about 19 million youth live in homes with internet connections and the number of children living in homes with filters has grown from 7 million in 2000 to 12 million today,” says the organization.

“The filters tend to be used by parents who themselves are frequent users of the internet and who have middle-school-age children. Parents who have older children and who are less tech-savvy are less likely to use filters.”

And at the same time, “parents are showing higher levels of vigilance about protecting their children online, there is striking consensus among parents and their teens that the teenage population is not as careful as it should be online and that teens do things online their parents don’t know about.”

81% of parents of online teens say that teens aren’t careful enough when giving out information about themselves online and 79% of online teens agree with this.

65% of all parents and 64% of all teens say that teens do things online that they wouldn’t want their parents to know about.

In addition to using filters, mums and dads say they’ve established rules about their childrens’ computer use.

• 73% of online teens say their household computer is located in a public place inside the house
• 64% of parents of online teenagers say they set rules about their children’s time online
• 62% of parents report checking up on their child’s surfing habits after he or she has gone online, but only 33% of teens who use the internet from home say they believe their parents monitor their online activity

And there’s a, “striking consensus among parents and their teens that the teenage population is not as careful as it should be online and that teens do things online their parents don’t know about,” states the report.

• 81% of parents of online teens say that teens aren’t careful enough when giving out information about themselves online
• 79% of online teens agree that teens aren’t careful enough when sharing personal information online
• 65% of all parents and 64% of all teens say that teens do things online that they wouldn’t want their parents to know about

But, “In the end, weighing all the pluses and minuses, parents believe the internet is a good thing for their children,” Pew concludes.

Concerns about what teens may encounter online notwithstanding, “the vast majority of parents believe that use of the internet is beneficial to their children. 67% of parents of online teens believe that overall the internet is a good thing for their child, up from 55% in December 2000 — an increase of 53%. Only 5% of all parents think the internet is a bad thing for their son or daughter.”

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See:-
Pew Internet & American Life Project - Protecting Teens Online, March 17, 2005

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