Digital literacy and safety skills
Keywords
Digital literacy
safety skills
children
online activities
Publication details
| Issued: | 2011 |
| Language: | English |
| Editors: | |
| Authors: | Sonck N.; Livingstone S.; Kuiper E.; de Haan J. |
| Type: | Short report |
| Topics: | Internet usage, practices and engagement; Literacy and skills; Risks and harms; Online safety and policy regulation |
| Sample: | EU Kids Online conducted a face-to-face, in home survey of 25,000 9-16 year old internet users and their parents in 25 countries, using a stratified random sample and self-completion methods for sensitive questions. Children’s digital skills were assessed by asking 25,000 European 9-16 year old internet users about their online activities, skills and self-efficacy |
| Implications For Policy Makers About: | Stepping up awareness and empowerment |
Abstract
Children’s digital skills were assessed by asking 25,000 European 9-16 year old internet users about their online activities, skills and self-efficacy.
The range of digital skills and online activities are linked. But many younger (11-13 year old) children lack key critical and safety skills. Also, skills are unequally distributed by socio-economic status.
Developing safety skills may encourage other skills, and more skills are associated with more activities online. So, teaching children to be safer need not curtail and may even encourage online opportunities.
Outcome
-Children have on average about half the skills asked about
-Younger children lack significant skills
-Children knowing more than their parents has been exaggerated (Only 36% say it is very true that they know more than their parents)
-Older children are more self-confident than younger ones
-"In short, the more children do online, the more skills they have and the more they judge that they know a lot about the internet." (Sonck et al., 2011, p. 3)
-The highest association is between activities and skills