Technology promotion in all its glory, there is also a flip side. The survey shows that a full 74 percent of all Swedish children between the ages of eight and 17 who use the internet have had negative experiences at some point. This is higher than the global result of 61 percent.
– Today, the internet is a natural part of our everyday life and can therefore affect how children feel. It is important that parents are not satisfied with knowing how much time their children spend online, but that they also gain an understanding of what they do and what drives them. Just as it is difficult to talk about negative things that happen at school or with friends, it is difficult to talk about negative events online. But it is just as important, says Per Hellqvist, security expert at Symantec.
The survey also shows that Swedish children spend ten percent more time on the Internet than a year ago. On average, Swedish children spend 15 hours per week online, which is the highest figure in the world after Brazil.
Listens to the parents
Among the positive figures in the survey, it appears that 81 percent of all Swedish children follow the rules that their parents have set regarding internet use. Three quarters of the children surveyed state that they behave politely online and do not harass anyone else.
The survey is based on interviews with 2,805 children aged eight to 17 and 1,669 parents. The same survey has also been conducted in Australia, Brazil, France, India, Italy, Japan, Canada, China, New Zealand, Spain, Great Britain, Germany and the United States.