Communication Studies

Student: Luc van Dijk | AeronAdvies

Date: 03/2012

University of Twente

UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE. 2

Literature review on protecting children on internet How can this be achieved without losing the benefits?

Abstract

Internet is a relatively new concept in the world. Where parents and teachers have to teach

themselves what it is and what they can do with it, the younger generation is ‘born’ online.

Their secret: learning by doing. This article considers the positive and negative aspects of

internet use with a particular focus on children and social media. Furthermore it describes

how children can be protected against the negative aspects of internet use but also can use the

positive aspects of it. It turns out that schools should help children to develop appropriate

etiquette for the online world. According to the literature this can be done by giving lessons

how to approach social media, not only at school but also at home. Schools may always give

space for positive points of social media such as creativity, leadership development, self-

presentation, creation of ideas and identity development.

1. Introduction Numerous articles are written about the

significant differences in use of technological

resources between generations. The older

generation has taught themselves to use

computers, while children in the current

society have grown up with this medium

(Genuis & Genuis, 2005; King, Walpole, &

Lamon, 2007). As a consequence of this

behavior there is a knowledge gap between

children and their parents. Children are very

capable of working with the computer

compared to their parents (King, Walpole &

Lamon, 2007). But Delfos (2011) stated that

children need adults too, to help them

process their online experiences. So it seems

that the generations need each other.

There are positive and negative aspects for

children by using the internet. One of the

problems is cyber bullying. The lack of

knowledge of new media by parents prevents

a support of their children when they are

cyber bullied (Li, 2007). Furthermore there

are more problems. Total freedom in internet

use by children can have negative

consequences, children do not oversee the

results of their behavior and have – because

of the lack of information from their parents

– not learnt to use net etiquette (Sharples,

Graber, Harrison, & Logan, 2009).

Besides the disadvantage of internet use, the

new sort of media also has a great advantage

for children. New media can support children

with identity creation (Cleemput, 2008;

Gross, 2004). For example, it offers children

the opportunity to try different identities and

choose one that fits best (Li, 2007).

Moreover internet use teaches them to be

creative and develop good communication

skills. Furthermore, it helps them to establish

their leadership (Green & Hammon, 2007;

Sharples, et al., 2009).

Delfos (2011) state that children should be

guided by their online experiences, because

children cannot process their online

experiences on their own. Sharples, et al.

(2009) agree with this statement and add that

children need to learn net etiquette.

Panagiotes, Anastasiades, and Vitalaki

(2011) also find that children need to be

taught how to use internet safely. Both

Sharples, et al. (2009) and Anastasiades and

Vitalaki (2011) stated that the school should

be responsible to teach the children how to

deal with internet use.

This literature review provides insights in

internet use of children with its advantages

and disadvantages. Furthermore it provides

viewpoints how children can be protected

against the dangers of internet use, but also

stimulated to use internet because of the

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advantages of internet. A particular focus is

chosen for the role of the school.

2. Internet use and children

The newest generation lives online (Genuis

& Genuis, 2005). According to King,

Walpole, & Lamon (2007) 89% of the

children have home internet acces. In

comparison Rideout, Foehr, & Roberts

(2010) are saying that 84% of the children

are using social media at home. 33% even

have internet in their own room. Table 1

illustrates the changes over time, stemming

from this research:

Children use internet mainly to present

themselves to the outside world. Half of the

children are logging in a couple of times a

day to change their own profile on social

network sites or look at profiles of others

(Cleemput, 2008). They are using internet

private, outside the sight of their parents.

Most of the time they chat with (offline)

friends about friends and gossip. Also a small

group of children is gaming (Gross, 2004).

According to Cleemput (2008) children find

that the online identity should fit the offline

identity. This means that a person should

behave quite the same online as offline.

Gross (2004) additionally finds that children

want to connect online with those they know

in the offline world. In short: being friends

with those who are friends in the real world.

Nevertheless, other researchers find

something else. A part of the children feels

better online than offline. This is because

they can express themselves better in the

online world (King, Walpole, & Lamon,

2007). Besides, children experience

anonymity online (Aricak et al., 2008).

Owing to this children think they can do

whatever they want to do (Genuis & Genuis,

2005). Furthermore some children experience

themselves as invisible and anonymous when

they are online. As a result some of them try

different identities (Slonje & Smith, 2008).

Because they have no supervisors, there are

no limits or boundaries, furthermore there are

no rules (Mason, 2008).

3. Benefits of internet use by children

Social media can help children with identity

development. As an example children learn

abilities such as creativity, self-presentation,

leadership and the development of ideas

(Green & Hammon, 2007; Sharples et al.,

2009). Actually they can train these skills by

presenting as themselves and presenting

himself like another person. The last point

can be positive for answering the questions:

who am I? What can I be? These are the

main questions of the adolescence phase of

identity development (Harder, 2009).

Whether a child is presenting as himself

online or just as another person, in both cases

they have to think about how the person in

question should react. As a matter of fact the

child sees how other people react (or not) to

the online personage. Consequently the child

can learn how to react in certain situations

and what kind of identity he wants to create

in real life (Sharples et al., 2009).

This statement is conducted by Collin,

Rahilly, Richardson and Third (2011). They

state in their article that internet use can be a

way to experience with different identities,

without the regulations of their parents. Also

Table 1 Home internet access, over time

(Rideout, Foehr, & Roberts, 2010)

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Mason (2008) found that new media can be a

place to draw-down or otherwise behave as

another person than themselves. On the

whole children can build a certain identity,

compare it with peers and develop an own

identity (Colin et al., 2011). Some children

who are bullied in real life see internet as the

place to be respected (King, Walpole &

Lamon, 2007). Summarizing being online is

a good way for identity development

(Cleemput, 2008; Gross, 2004).

For learning language skills it does not

matter whether or not children use a lot of

social media. Nevertheless, it is not a

disadvantage either (Radstake, 2010).

4. Disadvantages of internet use by

children

It is good for children to be online, on the

other hand it has to be controlled (Sharples et

al., 2009). As an example children are getting

no instructions about safe and responsible

use of the internet at this moment.

Furthermore there is no supervision (Genuis

& Genuis, 2005). As a consequence children

do not always know what they are doing

online and what the impact is of what they

are doing. It is possible that a child is cyber

bullying another child, but the child is not

aware of the bullying behavior. When given

awareness of this behavior, most of the time

a child will stop bullying (Li, 2007).

According to Duimel (2009) there are more

disadvantages. In the first place online

communication can result in

misunderstandings. Children communicate

with each other online but they normally do

not see or hear the other person.

Consequently, children say something while

they mean something else and are not always

aware of this situation.

Additionally, Aricak et al. (2008) also found

that statements made online can cause

problems in the real word. To illustrate: a

child says something online and has no bad

intentions. Because of misinterpretation the

other child is upset and as a concequence the

misunderstanding continues in the offline

world.

Another disadvantage according to Duimel

(2009) is that children can steal the username

and password from each other, basically

stealing an online identity. As a result a

person can send messages from the profile of

another child. Obviously the posted reactions

with a stolen profile are not always that well

educated. Moreover it causes more damage

because the private information, protected by

the password, is not private anymore.

Also children can create fake accounts by

pretending to be a real person, for example a

classmate (Duimel, 2009). By ‘stealing’

someone’sidentity, other children can think

this person is a real friend of them and add

the person to their network. Nevertheless it is

a fake account, so the messages coming from

this ‘person’ are not real.

Unfriending – not being an online friend

anymore with somebody – can hurt a child

deeply (Duimel, 2009). In real life people

normally can end a relationship when they do

not speak to each other anymore. However

online someone is a friend or is not a friend.

It might happen when some child is ‘cleaning

up’ his or her account he will delete some

‘friends’. This can be cruel for the child who

is being unfriended. The younger they are,

the more difficult it normally is for a child

(Duimel, 2009).

As a whole, the problem is that this kind of

disadvantages take place outside the sight of

the parents or teachers. As follows it is

difficult for parents to control their children

(Genuis & Genuis, 2005; King, Walpole, &

Lamon, 2007).

5. Guidance

To summarize, internet use has a lot of

advantages for children, not in the last place

to help with identity development. On the

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other hand it has also a lot of disadvantages.

When children are playing on a playground,

they are in sight of their parents or teachers.

Online there is not (always) a supervisor. To

go more in-depth about this issue the

following sub question is researched: How

are children being guarded by parents or

teachers in social media?

Because children know better the way online,

it is difficult for parents to check their

children (King, Walpole, & Lamon, 2007;

Genuis & Genuis, 2005). As a result parents

often are not aware of what their children are

doing online. Actually parents learn to use

the computer and social media from their

children (Genuis & Genuis, 2005). On the

other hand a child needs to speak with adults

about their online experiences (Delfos,

2011). This is because they can experience

situations with are unclear or unknown for a

child, just as in real life, and need some adult

support.

A problem hereby is that there is too little

awareness of professionals and parents about

for instance cyber bullying (Li, 2007). As an

example most school professionals are not

aware of this online problem. And when they

are, they do not know how to deal with the

problem (Mason, 2008). Moreover Slonje &

Smith (2008) make clear that parents think

they are aware of what the child is doing

online and would notice if the child is bullied

online. Although from their research comes

that parents are less aware of cyber bullying

compared to traditional bullying. As a result

this can lead to children who will not report

bullying behavior from others to their

parents. Likewise they will not tell it to their

teachers, because the person in question

knows too little about the subject.

Consequently this frustrates the positive

effects of internet use. Nonetheless, for 90

percent of all parents it is important that their

child learn good internet use skills (Sharples

et al., 2009). In addition King, Walpole &

Lamon (2007) give the following interesting

information. From a survey comes that many

students experience no rules for using

internet. “Among students, 41% do not share

where they go or what they do on the Internet

with their parents and 26% of students

believe their parents would at least “be

concerned” if their parents knew what they

did on the Internet.” (p. S67).

Scharples et al. (2009) state that children

need help with their internet use. This can be

done by teaching children to develop

appropriate etiquette and teach them to know

when social networking becomes risky and

unacceptable. “Most of all, schools,

supported by agencies including Becta, need

to develop an approach to the social Internet

that complements home use while developing

a distinctive educational space for creativity,

community and personal learning” (p. 79).

In short Slonje & Smith (2008) say children

who are being bullied online will not tell

their teachers and very few tell it to their

parents. Where Delfos (2011) finds that

adults should talk to – their – children to

protect them against dangerous aspects of

internet use.

Kuter-Luks, Heuvelman and Peters (2011)

state that schools should help children with

their internet use. Not to provide technical

eductation, because children are better in this

than adults, but to provide skills to deal with

the medium. What they want is that schools

provide programs to increase the critical

attitude of children towards internet (Kuter-

Luks, Heuvelman & Peters, 2011). Scharples,

Graber, Harrison en Logan (2009) also find

that schools should learn children net-

etiquette.

6. Conclusion, discussion and directions

for future research

At this moment parents as well as teachers

know too little about the online world to

support children. In the eyes of children it is

a problem that they know too little. As a

result they will not tell it to their parents and

UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE. 6

teachers what they are doing online. Even

when they are bullied.

It turns out that internet has great advantages

and disadvantages for children. As a positive

example children can stay in touch with those

they know from school and the playground.

Furthermore they learn the skills of self-

presentation, creativity, leadership, the

development of ideas and it is positive for

identity development. To illustrate the

disadvantages: because there is almost no

control from parents or teachers they can put

too much information online, not only can

they contact the wrong people but they can

also start bullying online or even being

bullied.

This research gives thus insight in the

advantages and disadvantages of internet use

for children and it gives a solution to protect

children against the danger of internet use

namely through have open conversations as

adults with children (Delfos, 2011) and with

special school programs (Kuter-Luks,

Heuvelman & Peters, 2011). It is stated that

schools should provide lessons for internet

use etiquettes. So a theoretical solution for

the actual problem is given.

Nevertheless, how the problem practically

can be solved, is not known. Additionally

how to resolve the problem of the knowledge

gap between parents, teachers and children is

also not totally clear. One clear advise for

adults and children is to talk to each other

about the topic, but it is unclear what the

school lessons in practice should look like.

In order to give an answer to these open

questions more research is needed on how to

practically provide children with protection

against the danger of internet use without

losing the benefits of it such as identity

development.

The topic of the literature review is

continuous changing. Therefore it is possible

that some information from used articles or

books is outdated.

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