Tuesday 10 February 2009

"Teens targeted in net safety push"

From the BBC:

Half of Europe's teenagers browse the web with no parental oversight or supervision, a survey suggests. The research into the web habits of 20,000 14 to 19-year-olds across Europe found that 51% enjoy unfettered access to any and every website.

That's terrifying!

Do 49% of parents have nothing better to do with their time than spy on their kids? My kids (aged between 6 and 19) "enjoy unfettered access" because I can't be bothered installing all the software, checking browser history etc. I walked into my study at home one day to find the two littl'uns giggling like mad at a Pokemon spoof on YouTube that seemed to revolve around saying the word 'penis' as often as possible. I reminded them that Her Indoors might have something to say about this if she caught them and left them to it. You can't squeeze toothpaste back into the tube and all that.

As ever, if you read a bit further you'll find the EUrocrats whipping up a Climate Of Fear as a Trojan Horse for yet more spyware ...

6 comments:

Obnoxio The Clown said...

I leave them to it as well. I find the occasional "absent-minded" barge into the room keeps them on their toes and keeps them off the dodgy stuff.

Anonymous said...

18 and 19 year olds browse without parental oversight? I should hope so too as my own would have had to trundle 100 miles to see what I was browsing when I was 18.

Simon Fawthrop said...

I don't think there's one country in the EU where the age of majority is higher than 18 so why did they include 18 and 19 YO's? It couldn't possible to bump up the headline numbers, could it?

Isn't there also a serious move to reduce the age of majority to 16? If so that implies 16 and 17 YO's are mature enough to do what they please on the web.

That leaves 14 and 15 YO's. At tis age there is no point in trying to stop them doing what they please as they will soon get round any barriers their parents erect. Furthermore, telling them there is a forbidden fruit will only encourage them to go looking for it.

Another waste of our money.

Anonymous said...

If this lot have their way we will all be too busy spying on each other to worry about the real dangers.

I say don't spy on 'em, engage with 'em.

Ross said...

"The research into the web habits of 20,000 14 to 19-year-olds across Europe "

19 year olds aren't children, monitoring the web habits of young adults of that age would just be creepy. Frankly they should be looking up internet porn at that age.

banned said...

They do the same thing with 'problem drinking' headlines. " 50% of teens drink more than twice weekly ! " is hardly surprising since that would include 18 and 19 year olds, as above.