Cyberteens @ risk? New research in Belgium
New research on teens' ICT use stresses the importance of internet and other technologies in their personal lifes. Even though teens can no longer imagine a life without internet, they are sometimes confronted with certain risks as well when they are surfing or chatting.
A carefully balanced image of the opportunities and risks of ICT for teens is what results from the research project TIRO, "Teens & ICT: Risks & Opportunities", that was presented in Brussels on the occasion of Safer Internet Day.
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The need for teenagers to have their proper cultural space in their parents' home, and more specifically in their proper bedroom, is not new. In the most recent years, however, since the introduction of GSM, computer and the internet, the bedroom has become a connected room from which girls and boys can continue their social interactions with peers as well as their participation in the youth culture.
Contrary to the uniform and homogeneous image that certain visions on adolescents and the internet put forward, the research shows a rather fragmented youth, presenting very contrasting profiles with regard to their practices as well as to the sense given to these practices in their society life.
In the survey with teens and parents not just the opportunities offered by ICT were analyzed, but also the risks young internet users can be confronted with.
