Engl. transl.: Children’s Digital Lives During Covid-19 Times (spring, 2020). Risks and Opportunities. Romanian KiDiCoTi Report

“Children’s Digital Lives During Covid-19 Times (spring, 2020). Risks and Opportunities. Romanian KiDiCoTi Report” is part of the “Kids’ digital lives during Covid-19 times” project (international project coordinated by Joint Research Center - European Commission). The data were collected through an online survey on 518 families (one parent and one child 10-17 years old from each family); the data collection took place in the second half of July 2020. The report has three parts: the first two parts the opportunities and the risks of children’s internet usage during the lockdown, reporting from both children’s and parents’ perspective. The third part reports on the changes in parental mediation activities during this period.” (Velicu, abstract made for the purpose of CO:RE database)

"“Opportunities: 9 out of 10 parents considered digital technology useful for their families during the spring 2020 lockdown. 70% of parents reported they learned more about their children's digital lives during the pandemic. Digital competences: Parents’ digital competences vary with their socioeconomic status, whereas children’s digital competences vary more with their age/ school grade (primary school children having the lowest score of digital competences). Both parents and children reported an increase in their digital digital competences during the lockdown, parents reporting a bigger increase. The excessive use of the internet: six out of ten children reported an increase in their subjective perception of using the internet excessively. 55% of parents said they were more worried about their children’s excessive use of the internet during the lockdown than before. Encountering bothering situations online: four out of ten children have never encountered online situations that would bother them but one quart of the surveyed children encountered more such situations during the lockdown than before. Cyberbullying: between 50% and 60% of children have never been involved in cyberbullying (either as a victim or as a perpetrator). Between 12% and 17% of children reported they were during the lockdown period victims of cyberbullying more frequent than before; for two out of ten children the lockdown period did not change their involvement in cyberbullying as a victim. Parental worries related with cyberbullying are higher than the frequency with which children have encountered the risks; thus, only 8% of parents reported never having this worry (although more than half of the children reported they have never been a victim). Almost half of the parents said they were more worried about cyberbullying during this period than before. Parental mediation: almost half of parents did not change their previous restrictive parental mediation practices. Between 45% and 60% of parents intensified their active parental mediation practices during the lockdown period, when compared with the previous period.” (Velicu, 2021, pp. 6-8; coder’s translation)"