Should parents filter their child’s use of the Internet?

Are Australian families doing enough to monitor the internet use of their children? Well, no, according to Microsoft Australia. After having surveyed 1000 Australians in an online poll, the company has released research which found that “more than 60% of parents allow their children to surf the net unsupervised and unrestricted at home”.

One in 5 parents had discovered their children viewing material which was deemed ‘unsavoury’, one in 3 found that their children had communicated with strangers, 36% found that their children had downloaded software without permission, and 12% discovered that their children had given out personal details. Surprisingly only 58% of parents had their home PC in a visible or ‘public’ area of the home, so that a child’s use could be easily monitored.
 

Mike Friganiotis

Cairns Family Relationship Centre

Community Education Officer