Study show "net-illiterate" parents failing kids

28 Apr 2005

Parents who are unable to help their children use the Internet properly could be stifling their education and reducing their job prospects, researchers said on Thursday.

A study by the London School of Economics (LSE) said many parents lacked the skills to guide their children's Internet use.

"Now that many young people rely on the Internet for information, homework help and careers guidance, the more it matters that some of them are getting left behind," said Sonia Livingstone, Professor of Social Psychology.

In a two-year project, researchers spoke to 1,511 nine to 19-year-olds and over 900 of their parents.

Nearly 20 percent of the parents said they did not know how to help their children use the Internet safely.

The report said a divide was growing not just between children with Internet access but also between those who know how to use it properly.

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