If you don’t think your child’s Internet activities are something you should worry about, you might want to think again after reading these facts. Basically, parents no longer have the luxury of allowing their kids to be alone as they surf the net. The best bet for a parent when it comes to protecting their kids from the net, it to know where your child has been, and to be net-savvy.
• 87% of youth, or about 21 million teens, go online
• 87% of teens go online from home
• 78% of teens go online from school
• 74% of teens go online from a friend’s house
• 54% of teens go online from a library
• 9% of teens go online from a community center.
• 73% of teens who go online at home do so in an open family area
• 26% of teens who go online at home do so in a private place
• 45% of teens have a cell phone
• 57% of older teens (15-17) have a cell phone
• 32% of younger teens (12-14) have a cell phone
• Of the approximately 11 million teens who have a cell phone, 10% use it to connect to the Internet (this number is rising all of the time)
• 75% of online teens of 65 percent of all teens use Instant Messaging
• 56% of IM-ing teens have posted a profile (including name and other identifying information) where others can see it
• 56% of teens have more than one e-mail address or screen names
• 61% of boys have more than one e-mail address—almost 25 percent have four or more
• 60% of online teens have gotten an e-mail of IM from a total stranger and 63 percent have responded to such contacts