Irish teens spilling the beans online

12-02-2008

by Stephen Errity

The number of Irish children and teenagers freely posting personal information about themselves online has increased significantly.

So says the 'EU Kids Online' survey, which was released to coincide with Safer Internet Day on Tuesday. Among its most worrying findings was that 79 percent of Irish children and teenagers gave out their name or e-mail address on social networking sites during 2007. This is a big jump from the 2006 figure of 28 percent who divulged personal information online. In addition, 49 percent said they gave out their date of birth, 12 percent their mobile number and 8 percent their home address to virtual strangers.

The survey also presents evidence that the online environment is becoming riskier for young people, with a rise in the number of 9-to-16-year-olds who have been asked for personal information online from 19 percent in 2006 to 27 percent in 2007.

Of all the EU countries, children and teens in Poland and the Czech Republic were found to be the least careful when it came to giving out personal information online. A worrying 91 percent of young Czechs gave out their e-mail address, while 72 percent surrendered their contact number. In Poland 64 percent said they had given out their contact number and 42 percent their e-mail address.

Commenting on the survey, Professor Sonia Livingstone, director of EU Kids Online said: "Many [children] are giving out personal information without realising who might see it. As a result, our research has found substantial amounts of bullying, harassment and unwanted sexual messages."

More worrying still was the high number of young people who met with online contacts in the real world. This issue was most pronounced in the Czech Republic where a shocking 65 percent of 12-17 year olds met up with online contacts. This figure is considerably higher than European average of around 1 in 12.

EU Kids Online, which is based at the London School of Economics (LSE), says it will be publishing a full report on the survey's findings in June.

Elsewhere, Webwise and UPC Ireland have taken the opportunity of Safer Internet Day to launch a new 'internet safety toolkit'. The interactive family kit consists of a parent's guide to the internet, an activity-based guidebook designed specifically for children between 6-12 years of age, a family certificate and situation cards. It will be distributed through a range of channels, including the UPC website, libraries, schools and Webwise-led initiatives. O2 Ireland also got in on the act, releasing a website to promote the safer use of mobile phones by young teens and children.

Social networks have increasingly come under pressure to enhance security on their sites in a bid to eliminate the chances of predators using the sites as opportunities to meet young people. Just last month MySpace, released its 'four principles of social networking site safety', prepared in collaboration with the Attorneys General of 49 US states. The News Corporation-owned site had previously agreed to give state authorities details about registered sex offenders known to be users. Bebo and Facebook have also recently implemented security measures on their sites.