How do first-time parents, born digital themselves, behave when their children take their first steps on the Internet? This is the question posed by the e-Enfance association, which aims to protect children on the Internet. A study by Toluna-Harris Interactive with Google, carried out for the association, shows the behaviors adopted by parents and especially by their children, from 6 to 10 years old.
And according to the results, children are now discovering the Internet at a very young age. The first uses of the Internet with parents would thus occur before the age of 6 on average. But the only use of the Internet would be as soon as the age of 6 years and 10 months on average, mainly for entertainment activities (Youtube Kids, coloring, music, etc.).
Very early use (too much according to parents), and above all free: a third of parents say that their child can freely connect to the Internet, without asking permission. This connection is made mostly at home (94% of the connection time) but above all at very specific moments: more than half of the connection time (55%) takes place before going to bed, for example.
Worrying use?
Although the majority of parents consider themselves owners of their children’s Internet use (93%), 60% still say they are worried for this sometimes excessive use of digital technology by their descendants.
Children themselves admit that this use can be excessive: one in two children say that it is difficult to stop using the Internet. And those almost toddlers don’t necessarily need to borrow a parent’s or adult’s phone: 46% of children between the ages of 6 and 10 already have a smartphone.
Faced with this massive and sometimes poorly controlled use, some parents admit, however, that they have implemented tools and solutions to regulate this use: parental control, viewing explanatory videos or websites evoking the subject with their children.
Source: BFM TV
