smartphones 'putting youth at greater risk online'...adrian weckler ps can take...

Irish Independent TabloidTuesday, 11 February 2014Page: 2,3

Circulation: 131161Area of Clip: 72300mm² of 4

Smartphones 'putting youth at greater risk online'

Katherine Donnelly Education Editor

THE growing use of mobile devices, such as smartphones, is exposing children to more online risks such as bullying and harmful or sexually explicit

content. Smartphones are now the

most used devices for young people going online in Ireland, with 40pc of nine to 16-year olds and more than 60pc of teenagers owning one, according

to new report.

Of those, 35pc use it daily to go online, while 27pc own a tablet and use it on a daily basis to access the internet.

The report provides the initial findings from Ireland on

the EU's Net Children Go Mobile study, aimed at exploring

young people's use of mobile internet technologies and the consequences for their welfare online.

Bullying remains the most harmful risky experience, with 26pc of girls experiencing it, compared with 17pc of boys.

Sexual risks are second, and



Top: Thomas Mernagh, of Thurles, Tipperary, Emmet Farrell, Drimnagh Castle, and Adam O'Dwyer and Lia Grogan from Thurles, showcasing their work at the launch of Safer Internet Day. Above: Chantelle Khan, Shonagh Barrett and Elysia Flynn of Bishopstown CS, Cork, with singer Gavin James, andres poveda

the report's disturbing findings include that lOpc of 13- to 14year-olds

and 22pc of 15- to 16year-olds have received sexual

messages online. Among older teenagers, 47pc had seen sexual

images online, and about half of these said they were upset by the experience. Another risk that young people encounter is seeing potentially harmful usergenerated

content. The study found that 35pc

of 13- to 16-year-olds were

exposed to some form of harmful content such as hate messages

(15pc), anorexic or bulimic content (14pc), self-harm sites (9pc), sites discussing suicide (8pc), and sites where people share their experiences with drugs (7pc).

However, while smartphones and tablet users encounter more risks, they don't report more harmful experiences

Most internet use is at home, with 63pc of children going

online at least once a day, at home, and 46pc accessing the internet from their bedroom on a daily basis.

Among the other findings of the report, launched to mark Safer Internet Day, is that 20pc of children say that they have been bothered by something on the internet in the past year, up from llpc since 2011.

Dr Brian O'Neill, of Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) and Chair of the Government's Internet Content Governance Advisory Group, who led the project in Ireland, said new strategies may be needed to ensure young people's safety and welfare in a "post-desktop internet environment".

Launching the report, Education Minister Ruairi Quinn also

unveiled a new anti-cyberbullying kit for seeond-level schools

for use in Social Personal and Health education (SPHE) classes.

The kit challenges young people to find new ways of using the internet and social media and to stand up to bullying and show solidarity with victims.

'HARRY POTTER' STAR EVANNA LYNCH ON HER

BATTLE WITH THE ONLINE BULLIES: PAGE 27



The apps and sites your children are using THOUGHT your use of Facebook made you wise to social networks? Think again. In Ireland, most evidence shows us that while Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp are widely used by adults, children and teens often opt for alternative social networks and messaging services. These are overwhelmingly phone-based apps that are chosen because they are off the radar of parents and older people. Here are four that parents should get to know:

1. SNAPCHAT

Snapchat is the fastest-growing smartphone online messaging service. That growth is driven overwhelmingly by kids and teenagers. The app is aimed at sending photos or video messages to individuals or groups. Snapchat's standout feature is that, once seen, messages autodelete

themselves after 10 seconds (or less). While this is supposed to make the service more private, it also emboldens behaviour in an expectation that there might be no proof of the communication (although users

Adrian Weckler

PS

can take screenshots of the message). For adult users, this has earned the service a reputation for 'sexting'. But for younger users, the main fear is cyber-bullying.

2. INSTAGRAM

Instagram has become the most popular social media service among kids under 13, partly due to Facebook's over-13 age restrictions and partly because it is overwhelmingly photo-based. It is primarily a phone-based service that allows you to set up a profile and share photos with other users and other social networks. Although cited in the recent "Net Children Go Mobile' report as a relatively common source of cyber-bullying, it is relatively easy to police for parents due to its popularity and its relative closeness to parent firm Facebook.

3. KIK

Kik is a phone messaging service (like Whatsapp) that allows users to send texts, photos or videos. Buy unlike other messaging services, you don't have to have a phone number, you can just choose a name. This means that it suits kids who don't yet have a phone number but may have access to wi-fi.

4. ASK.FM

While Ask.FM received a public pasting last summer for being linked to chronic bullying cases, the service has retained its popularity, especially among girls aged 13 and 14. The service works by allowing users to post questions, which you can then answer. The details remain posted on your page. Although you have to join the service to post questions, it defaults toward anonymity. This makes it very easy for unpleasant things to be asked. However, a survey from DIT and DCU found 1.4pc of Irish kids being bullied said that it happened using Ask.FM. This is lower than other social media.

smartphones 'putting youth at greater risk online'...adrian weckler ps can take...

Documents