.png)
Teens and Tweens - what are they doing online?
by Deb Carr
Today I attended a rather unusual High Tea at Westfield Sydney hosted by McAfee. So what was so unusual about it? It also involved an insightful look at Teens and Tweens and what they are up to online.
There is no doubt, children are getting more online savvy at a very young age. Take for instance evanstubehd.com - the kid-and parent-friendly YouTube channel that has racked up more than a staggering 272 million views in just a few years...Evan, who is 7 reviews his favourite toys and videogames.
With more social media platforms emerging rapidly like Snapchat, Yik Yat, Vine, Keek and KIk - the overall message Is, as a parent you need to get social media savvy on all these apps so you know where your kids are interacting online, and understand how it all works.
Today's presenters were:
Melanie Duca - APAC Consumer Marketing Director, McAfee. Part of Intel Security.
Alex Merton-McCann - Australian Cybermum, McAfee. Part of Intel Security
Robyn RIchardson, National Program Development - Life Education Australia
Dr Justin Coulson, Parenting & Relationship expert
Here is what are presenters shared today.
(all research courtesy of McAfee. Part of Intel Security)
The Tweens, Tweens and Technology research was conducted to gain a better understanding of the behaviour and opinions of young Australians when they are online, with regard to social media usage, safety and cyberbullying.
This data sheet provides a comparison of results between the 2014 and 2013 McAfee studies to identify changes in trends and uncover insights that McAfee and partners can share to help our children stay safe online.
Tweens: 8-12 year olds Teens: 13-17 year olds
Australia’s youth live in a world of constant online connection
YouTube is the number one social site across all age groups, with Facebook the most likely to be visited daily. In 2013, Skype was the most popular social website among tweens
New social media sites, such as Yik Yak, an anonymous messaging app, gain quick acceptance across all age groups
Worryingly, 31% of 8-9 year olds and 60% of 10-12 year olds are on Facebook, despite the legal age being 13 years old. This is a big rise from 2013, where 26% of tweens were using Facebook
One in three young people have their own Tumblr, website or blog
Most say they understand the risks inherent in online activity
92% understand that what they do online can affect their identity
Teenagers who have more social media experience are more mindful of the impact
their posts have on their future
The top online fear for younger kids and tweens is the risk of cyberbullying (27%)
Teens are more fearful of losing their information (21%) and being hacked (31%) and losing their privacy (23%)
They therefore take precautions to protect themselves
88% of teens and tweens who understand that online activities can affect identity have taken measures to protect their identity
Of respondents who have taken measures
78% only communicate with or ‘friend’ people online who they know in real life
56% use privacy settings on social media to protect their location and content
34% disable the GPS on their mobile device (except for maps)
But many continue to take risks online, against their better judgment
Over a quarter (27%) of teens and tweens say they feel more accepted on social media than in person
50% feel more important or popular when they receive a lot of likes
41% wished they received more likes
22% feel upset or depressed when they don’t receive a lot of likes
One in five have tried to reinvent themselves online by trying to appear older (12%),
creating a fake profile (12%) or posting photos that are not their own (6%)
Half of young Australians have done or posted something risky online
Nearly half (48%) have chatted online with or live tweeted someone they don’t
know. This has jumped from 19% in 2013
One in five (18%) have met someone in person that they first met online
42% of teens and tweens don’t turn off the GPS location when accessing websites or apps from a mobile device
Tweens and tweens are seeing more cyberbullying
81% have witnessed cyberbullying of others. This is a steep rise 56% from 2013
39% have been cyberbullied and 15% have bullied others online
Of those who have witnessed cyberbullying, 62% reported it, generally to an adult
Parental guidance on personal decisions and social media is welcomed
83% respect guidance on personal decisions/social media from their parents
Nine in 10 say their parents trust them to make the right decisions online
Yet, the same number (91%) say their parents have taken steps to monitor or
control their online behaviour. This is up from 2013 when 80% of parents were placing controls on online activity
76% have had a conversation with their parents about being safe online
58% have had device usage removed or restricted
• 74% would agree to their parents receiving alerts about their location
Even though parental guidance is respected, young Australians say their parents remain in the dark about much of their online activity
70% say their parents know some of what they do online, but not everything
49% say their parents can’t keep up with the technology
52% say they know how to hide what they do online from their parents
70% have purposely taken action to hide their online behaviour from their parents
40% have cleared the browser history or used private browsing mode
33% have hidden or deleted instant videos or messages
13% have created a duplicate or fake social network profile
Teens and Tweens take on a guardianship role for their younger siblings
28% of those with a younger sibling monitor or edit their sibling’s social media page
59% of those who monitor or edit their younger sibling’s social media page have
asked them to remove something from their page out of concern for their well-being
About the research
The Futures Company conducted 1,033 national online interviews among males and females, ages 8-17. Interviews were conducted from June 16 – June 27, 2014. All respondents were required to spend a minimum number of weekly hours online to qualify for the survey:
Kids and Tweens (ages 8-12) were required to spend a minimum of 2 hours a week online.
Teens (ages 13-17) were required to spend a minimum of 5 hours a week online
.png)
