Highlights – March 2009
INOBTR has been visiting schools lately with great conversations with the teens from Eureka High School, parents and kids from Wydown Middle School (Clayton School District) and the great 4th & 5th graders from Craig Elementary School (Parkway School District). These teens and tweens help us learn more about what is going on in their virtual world and we can share with them the tips we’ve learned about the real world.
At Eureka High School, we surveyed teens about their Internet usage. We surveyed 57 teens (28 male, 29 female) with a median age of 17.5. Here are some of the results:
8 39% spend 1-2 hours per day online
8 18% spend 2-3 hours per day online
8 9% spend 5 or more hours per day online
That time was spent:
8 58% catching up with friends daily
8 48% doing homework weekly
8 39% looking for directions, information, weekly
8 23% hobbies, or other interests, daily
Cell phones are a way of life for teens:
8 5% had no phone
8 7% had only a basic phone
8 88% had phones with other features: cameras, video, GPS & internet access
While 95% of the teens access the Internet from home, they also access the net at a multitude of other places, some without parental controls:
8 65% at school
8 50% at friends home
8 30% through cell phone
8 21% through library
Social networking popularity, with several teens using more than one site:
8 86% use Facebook
8 40% use MySpace
8 24% use other sites like Bebo
8 Only 7% did not have a social networking page
On those sites:
8 47% had posted pictures of friends without asking first
8 25% list their cell phone number
8 41% have used it to list events and activities
8 60% set their site to “private”
8 55% have “friends” they don’t know in real life
8 19% share their password with friends
8 8% share their password with their parents
Of these teens
8 18% admit to being cyberbullied
8 11% admit to bullying
8 17% admit to pretending to be someone else online
8 17% have used someone else’s password without permission
8 57% often download material from file sharing sites
INOBTR will also take part in the following activities in April:
April 1 – Cyber Summit – Working Together to End Cyberbullying
This is the second year for this great summit put on by CHARACTERplus for St. Louis area schools.
April 7 – Internet Safety: What Adults Need to Know
This safety night will feature Lt. Joe Laramie (MO-ICAC) and other booths and vendors providing information on a variety of topics related to children’s computer and Internet use. Sponsored by Parkway Health & Technology Department at South Middle School 6:30 – 8:30pm
April 14 – Internet Safety Training at Big Brothers Big Sisters
This training session is for staff at the BBBS facilities to give them more tools to help the kids they serve so well.
April 22 – Internet Safety Presentation Training
This training is open to community leaders, law enforcement and child services personnel who want to be able to present Internet Safety Training messages in their community or work. Download Flyer
