Stats on teen net usage (U.S. and Aus)
July 8th 2009 01:44
I'm back for the winter with new resolve to keep an eye on my pears like the KGB kept on Russian citizens, and I'm beginning this new mission by finding out who goes online, how often and what they go online for.
WE begin with U.S figures, for which the prime source for my information is this paper.
An interesting fact about U.S net usage is that about half of all African American and Hispanic children do not use the internet, while only one in five Caucasian and Islander children do not go online.
Aggregately, U.S children have been found to partake in the following activities online;
94% check emails
94% research school work
85% find information about music, movies or TV
81% play games
80% download music (no mention is made about the legality of the downloading)
78% get news
71% visit chartrooms
50% check sport scores
36% shop online
In regards to pornography, 70% of 15-17 year olds say they've 'accidentally' come across pornography. My eyebrow's up at this one- I've never accidentally come across porn, such is the power of filters, but whatever, let's keep moving on.
The only gender difference found online occurs around game playing; 75% of boys aged 15-17 play games online, compared to 57% of girls. Note that those two numbers are inverted
So that's it for the U.S, now we come to Australian facts and figures. Unfortunately, I didn’t find anything as detailed about Aus we'll make do.
It turns out we're a bunch of liars, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. 56% of us lie about something online, mostly our age, our looks (we're quite crafty with Photoshop) and our friend count (queue adding random left, right and centre on social networking sites).
Our reasons for this deception? Well it seems that's down to 'avoiding ridicule'. We lie online to become an ideal version of ourselves so we can feel more confident about when it comes to making friends- just keep it online though, because you're screwed if your lying self meets cyber friends in the real world. Remember, Photoshop does not equal real life cosmetic surgery.
So that's it or this entry, I feel like researching something Middle Eastern for my next blog. See you tomorrow.
WE begin with U.S figures, for which the prime source for my information is this paper.
An interesting fact about U.S net usage is that about half of all African American and Hispanic children do not use the internet, while only one in five Caucasian and Islander children do not go online.
Aggregately, U.S children have been found to partake in the following activities online;
94% check emails
94% research school work
85% find information about music, movies or TV
81% play games
80% download music (no mention is made about the legality of the downloading)
78% get news
71% visit chartrooms
50% check sport scores
36% shop online
In regards to pornography, 70% of 15-17 year olds say they've 'accidentally' come across pornography. My eyebrow's up at this one- I've never accidentally come across porn, such is the power of filters, but whatever, let's keep moving on.
The only gender difference found online occurs around game playing; 75% of boys aged 15-17 play games online, compared to 57% of girls. Note that those two numbers are inverted
So that's it for the U.S, now we come to Australian facts and figures. Unfortunately, I didn’t find anything as detailed about Aus we'll make do.
It turns out we're a bunch of liars, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. 56% of us lie about something online, mostly our age, our looks (we're quite crafty with Photoshop) and our friend count (queue adding random left, right and centre on social networking sites).
Our reasons for this deception? Well it seems that's down to 'avoiding ridicule'. We lie online to become an ideal version of ourselves so we can feel more confident about when it comes to making friends- just keep it online though, because you're screwed if your lying self meets cyber friends in the real world. Remember, Photoshop does not equal real life cosmetic surgery.
So that's it or this entry, I feel like researching something Middle Eastern for my next blog. See you tomorrow.
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