Norton Online Living Report

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Introduction
The role of the Internet in our world continues to grow and evolve. Just as it revolutionized the way we find information, experience entertainment and do business, its transforming our social lives in profound ways as well. For the second year, Symantec commissioned the Norton Online Living Report to monitor and provide insight into rapidly changing technology, Internet usage and the social impact on individuals and families. This years report surveyed 9,000 online adults and kids in 12 countriesthe U.S., Canada, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, China, Japan, India, Australia and Brazilwith results that are both surprising and informative about the impact of technology on relationships, parenting and security.

Can Technology Buy You Love?

It just mightseven in 10 adults worldwide say that the Internet has made their relationships better. Todays frenzied world makes it challenging for people to stay in touch. The good news is that a wide array of technologies, including webcams, IM, photo sharing and social networking, make it easier than ever to stay connected. Even President Obama, in one of the worlds highest-pressure job, uses his BlackBerry and webcam to stay connected to family and friends. How are people connecting? Email is the baseline with 92% using it to communicate with friends and family 42% use webcams, with very high usage in China (74%), India (68%), Brazil (66%) and France (53%) Half of adults use social networking 7 in 10 access photos online and use IM 24% use a Twitter-like service

One of the clear benefits of technology is its ability to connect (or re-connect) people far and wide. Were making more and more of our friends through the Internet, and blurring the line between the virtual world and physical world.

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 Nearly 60% of online adults have made a friend this way, and have an average of 41 online friends Adults in China (86%), India (83%) and Brazil (82%) are most likely to make friends online, while those in France (32%) and Japan (38%) are the least likely to make friends online Males tend to have more online friends than females do Three in four have gone on to meet someone in person whom they originally met online In Japan and China, adults are less likely to meet online friends in the physical world because they fear their online personas are smarter, funnier and better-looking 56% have used the Internet to reconnect with old friends

1 in 5 adults flirt online, 1 in 3 in India and Brazil 14% have rekindled romantic relationships, especially in India (37%) and Brazil (25%) 1 in 4 have shared a secret online 1 in 4 find it easier to discuss touchy subjects online than in person or by phone In China and India its nearly 2 in 4 that feel that way and their kids agree Kids in Japan (6%) and Germany (7%) are the least likely to agree that touchy subjects are easier to discuss online 1 in 5 online adults sometimes criticize other peoples comments or ideas, more often in Brazil 37% or China 35% or India 27% vs. Sweden 8% and Japan 8% 1 in 10 sometimes make fun of other people online but 3 in 10 in India are most likely to do so Nearly 1 in 10 in India and Brazil admit to sending an flaming email These days, families may be spread throughout the country or even the globe. School, work and friends all compete for time that might otherwise be spent with family. The economic downturn has tightened the reins further, demanding even more of parents who might already be working full-time jobs to begin with, and making it harder to travel. For many, the Internet is a versatile solution for bridging these gaps. 71% report that the Internet makes keeping in touch with family easier 53% report that it has improved the quality of communications 45% report that the Internet has improved their family relationships overall

Aside from allowing people to forge new relationships, the Internet also helps strengthen existing ties, rekindle romance or get personal. While some admit to negative behavior online, for the most part the Internet is a positive and central vehicle for communication and connection. In fact, six in 10 adults say they could not live without it.

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The E-Family
A unique segment we call the E-Family makes up 14% of the online population, has strong family ties and high Internet usage. More than two-thirds of this group say that the Internet has improved their family relationships.

99% feel satisfied with time spent with family, compared with 50% overall Two-thirds say that the Internet has improved their relationship with their family vs. 45% overall Spend 7 more hours/week online than families that report weak ties online and offline 9 in 10 say their children follow family rules for being online, compared with 8 in 10 overall 9 in 10 have a good knowledge of computers, compared with 6 in 10 overall 9 in 10 like agree they are one of the first out of their friends or family to check out new technologies, compared with 6 in 10 overall 62% have a profile on a social networking site, compared with 49% overall

So does technology buy you love? It can certainly help, as evidenced by people emailing, using a webcam, or chatting up a storm at more than 100 hours in some countries. Family and friends are buzzing onlinegetting personal, romantic, spilling secrets, flaming or getting just plain touchy. Somelike the E-Familyare trendsetters who have turned technology into a family asset. The rest of us know we cant live without it and continue to consume more of it.

TIPS
1. Try something new to connect with friends and familywhether sharing photos and videos or looking up old friends 2. Use caution when looking for love online the Internet can be a great place to find romance, but dont forget the basics of safety and security apply to the virtual world as much as the physical world 3. Keep a balancethese days, the line between online and offline is blurred. Make sure to balance your online social life with real-world social activities

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The Internet is kids new backyard, where they spend an average of 39 hours a month, nearly twice as much time as their parents think they spend. Parents are still waking up to the fact that parenting now includes the Internet. Just as they worry about what their kids eat, how they are doing in school and who their friends are, they need to be involved in their online lives

Do You Know Where Your Kids Are...Online?

Last years Norton Online Living Report identified that kids are very active online, going online for school projects (94%), entertainment (62%), games (96%) and shopping (49%). This year, theyre online even more. In fact, six in 10 adults worldwide say kids spend too much time online, and whats more, 45% of kids agree. While a majority of adults feel their kids spend too much time online, we found two schools of thought regarding the Internets impact on education. Overall, adults are evenly split on whether reading online is as valuable as reading a book. They are also of two minds about whether writing skills are hindered by communicating through email and IM. Interestingly, kids are equally divided on these questions. Surprisingly, TV reigns over Internet and cell phone as the most important technology in kids lives. However, kids are highly active online. 86% of kids send text messages 73% of kids email from their phones 23% are using a Twitter-like service Kids on average are spending 3 hours/week texting: kids in the U.S. text the most at 10 hours/week, while kids in Japan and Germany text the least at 1 hour/week vs. adults who spend 2 hours/week texting 92% of kids socialize with family and friends online, approximately 5 hours a week 55% of kids have made friends online, up from 45% of kids in countries surveyed last year and have an average of 37 online friends. U.S. kids have the most friends at 82, and kids in Japan have the fewest at 13

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What else are kids doing online? Last years Norton Online Living Report found that 1 in 5 kids admitted to conducting activities that their parents wouldnt approve of. This year, 1 in 5 got caught! In Canada, Sweden and Brazil, 1 in 3 parents caught their kids engaging in online activities they dont approve of. Perhaps not surprisingly, more parents are spying on their kids online, 33% compared to 25% last year, and reprimanding them for breaking (34%) Internet rules. As we have seen from well-publicized examples of worst-case scenariosfrom the Megan Meier case to sexting to cyberbullyingrisky behavior online can have serious consequences. On a positive note, kids are starting to open the door online to their parents and even their grandparents, effectively closing the generation gap. 1 in 4 kids are friending their parents online. Brazilian kids are the most open with 7 in 10 kids including their parents on their buddy lists, 8 in 10 on their email contact lists, and 6 in 10 on their social networking site Kids in Japan are the least likely to have one of their parents as an online contact: 39% have a parent on their email contact list, while only 9% have a parent as a contact/friend on their online social networking site profile 10% of kids use new technologies (IM, social networking, texting, email) to connect with their grandparents

33% of parents say its hard to create rules for Internet use because it wasnt around when they were kids 22% of kids go online at a friends house, making it challenging for parents to provide supervsion (53% of parents in Sweden report their child connects to the Internet at a friends house, 9% in Japan and 13% in Italy) As the Internet becomes a larger and larger part of our lives, establishing boundaries for online activity between parents and children is increasingly vital. Like anything else, open dialogue and clear expectations are the most important steps. You dont have to out-tech your kids to protect them online.

TIPS
1. Have The Talk frequently and establish realistic rules. Engage in dialogue about who, what and where your kids are online but make it fun, not an interrogation 2. Deploy basic preventative security measuresan all-in-one security suite and parental controls 3. Participate in their lives onlinein addition to joining their kids in texting, IMing and social networking, parents can learn more about their kids by looking at their online videos, photos and status updates, or even Googling them

In other signs of progress, parents recognize that they are responsible for keeping their kids safe online. They are taking measures such as talking to their kids about online safety (70%) and setting parental controls (33%), but many dont know where to start. Supervision is inherently difficult when it comes to the online world. Not only is the Webs content available to anyone with a search engine, its easy for kids to bypass parents altogether by logging on from outside the household. 7 in 10 kids have rules for using the Internet; and parents and kids concur that they are following the rules 80% of the time 70% of parents are now talking to their kids about online safety (up 20% from last year) 90% of parents worldwide see that its their responsibility to keep their kids safe online

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So You Think Youre Secure?

One of the most surprising statistics that we found in this years Norton Online Living Report was that 99% of those surveyed say they take steps to secure their personal information. The reality, however, is that most people still fall short, despite the fact that many have experienced the pain of being hacked, losing data or having their computer crash.

Whats causing this security paradox? One factor is lack of awareness about todays threat environment. Instead of widespread, headline-making virus outbreaks, cybercriminals are targeting peoples pocketbooks, using spam and phishing to gather credit card and financial account information. Consumers are relying on outdated virus scanners that dont address new threats such as bots, worms, spyware and drive-by downloads. The other danger is complacency. Most people are taking some take steps to protect themselves online but leaving themselves vulnerable by visiting untrusted Web sites (46%), not backing up data (55%), not changing passwords frequently (67%) and giving out personal information online (33%). Adults in India (67%), Italy (68%) and Japan (72%) are least likely to install security software 2 in 10 (globally) still dont have security software installed Another 2 in 10 do not run virus scans frequently Over half of adults in Japan (55%) and 1 in 4 (globally) report a lack of confidence that their personal information online is secure Roughly half of online adults have experienced either a hard drive crash and lost irreplaceable data or had someone break into their computer

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In spite of all this bad news, people overwhelmingly agree that the benefits of using the Internet outweigh the risks. Online technologies have the potential to connect our lives in ways that were all but impossible in the recent past. Without the right security, however, we run the risk of inviting in more problems than we solve. Fortunately, a combination of awareness and proactive precaution can keep our online experiences safe, positive and enriching. Online adults (89%) and online children (90%) overwhelmingly agree that the benefits of using the Internet outweigh the risks Adults would give up their cars or digital music players before giving up Internet access Online security is like insurance. You wouldnt drive without car insurance, and you shouldnt surf, Tweet or Facebook, without comprehensive online security. It may seem daunting, but you dont have to know what a bot is to protect yourself online.

TIPS
1. Choose a comprehensive Internet security suite and backup your important data. Antivirus alone is not enough for todays threat environment 2. Use common sensedont use the same password for multiple accounts, dont share personal information, dont open or click on links in emails from people you dont know 3. Get a tune-up for your PC. You get a tune-up from your car at least twice a year; you use your PC just as much. A tune-up helps identify deep-rooted threats, protects it from crashes and can make the performance of your PC feel like new

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Methodology
The Norton Online Living Report survey was conducted online in 12 countries (the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, China, Japan, India, Australia, and Brazil) by Harris Interactive on behalf of Symantec between October 13th and December 5th, 2008 among 6,427 adults 18 years old and older (including 1,297 parents of children ages 8-17) and 2,614 children aged 8-17 who spend one or more hours online each month. Results were weighted as needed to be representative of the online population of adults and children for each country. Throughout this report, global totals refer to the simple, combined percentage of the 12 countries. All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often impossible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words margin of error as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the online population in each of the countries surveyed. Because the sample is based on members of the Harris Interactive online research panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

Online Living: Global Differences

The Internet is continually making the world a smaller place, but significant differences still remain. Of the 12 countries surveyed, a surprising variance emerged on questions regarding adoption of technology, communication between parents and children about online activities, and the Internets impact on socializing, learning and culture. The following facts highlight these differences.

Australia
Among all the countries surveyed, Australias online parents are most likely to agree, "I always know what my children are looking at online (86%); however, only two-thirds (65%) of Australian kids agree, "my parents know what I am looking at when I am online." This is the largest gap in all countries. Confidence in the knowledge of what their child does online is highest in Australia (86%) Among all countries surveyed, the average number of children online parents have is 2.0; however Australian online parents report the highest number of children in their households (2.8) Australian adults are most likely to believe that children spend too much time online (65% agreement compared to the UK, France, Japan, India) Along with India, adults in Australia are most likely to agree that the Internet has eased the learning process (89% India, 86% Australia) Though 90% of Australian youth agree that the Internet has made learning much easier for children today, 63% feel that email, instant messaging, text messaging and posting on social networking web sites or blogs make it harder for children today to learn to write well Online Australian adults are most likely to report the Internet is slow (34%) and one in three (72%) feel this slowness has to do with their Internet connection Australians rank their cars at the top of their list of things that they cant live without (50%), followed by Internet access (46%) and TV (45%) Australia ranked third in the list of countries in which online adults are most unaware of services like Twitter, which allow short but frequent contact between individuals (Sweden [30%], the U.K. [27%], Australia [25%])

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Brazil
Of the 12 countries surveyed, kids in Brazil spend the most time online (70 hours per month), while parents in Brazil believe their kids spend 56 hours per month online Kids in Brazil are the most inclusive of their parents, with 70% including their parents on their buddy lists, 79% including their parents on their email contact lists, and 60% including their parents as a contact on their social networking site 75% of online parents in Brazil feel very or extremely knowledgeable discussing sex with their children, the highest among the countries surveyed (on average, 41% of online parents feel very/ extremely knowledgeable discussing sex with their kids) 72% of online parents in Brazil feel more knowledgeable discussing sex with their kids than discussing family finances (72%) or the websites their child visits (66%) Of all countries surveyed, online adults in Brazil spend the most time sharing photos online, at four hours per week Kids in Brazil socialize online to a greater extent than those in other countries, at 13 hours per week 74% of adults in Brazil IM with family members at least once a week, compared with 43% of adults globally Two-thirds of online parents in Brazil admit they have monitored their childrens Internet usage by reading their email or tracking websites they visited using cookies 48% of online parents in Brazil are likely to have reprimanded their child for inappropriate online behavior Parental confidence in Brazil is high74% are confident they know what their child is looking at online; the children tell a similar story, as 72% of kids report their parents know what they are doing online

Canada
At 89%, online adults in Canada report the highest level of parental responsibility for protecting their children online Parents in Canada are most likely to report being extremely/very knowledgeable in discussing Internet activities in which their children participate, particularly websites frequently visited (73%) and sharing personal information on the Internet (84%). They feel least knowledgeable discussing family finances (57%) At 45%, Canada has the lowest percentage of online adults who say they are among the first of their friends and family to check out a new technology, compared to 62% globally Of all the countries surveyed, Canadian kids (39%) are least likely to have their parent in their cell phone address book One in three Canadian parents have caught their child online engaging in activity they dont approve of 68% of online parents in Canada report the Internet has improved their relationship with their family 95% of online parents in Canada report having high levels of involvement in their kids lives 89% of online parents in Canada feel they can talk to their child about almost anything Almost three-quarters of adults (73%) and an even higher numbers of parents (77%) in Canada believe that children spend too much time online, in contrast to just over half of children (54%) who believe children spend too much time online Canadian adults (62%), parents (65%) and kids (58%), to a lesser degree, see time spent online by kids as wasting time One-third of Canadian kids have parents as a contact on their social networking website

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China
At 83%, online adults in China say they are among the first of their friends and family to check out a new technology, the highest of the countries surveyed and compared to 62% overall. In China, adults (47%) and parents (43%) are by far most likely to report that the Internet actually makes educating their children harder. Online parents in China (70%) are among the most likely to trust parental controls Of all countries surveyed, China feels the strongest (54%) that Internet security companies have responsibility for protecting children online When on vacation, Chinese online adults are most likely to talk on a cell phone or send a text message, IM or email to a friend (90%) than a family member (83%) The only country surveyed in which less than half of adults agree that emailing, online messaging, text messaging, and posting on social networking sites or blogs may impede children from learning how to write well is China(46%) Adults and youth in China (52% adults, 56% kids) are more likely than those in other countries to be willing to discuss touchy subjects online 56% of kids in China are more willing to communicate with their family about touchy subjects online than on the phone or in person, compared to 33% worldwide About four in five adults and kids say they could not live without the Internet (85% adults; 83% kids) Overall, 54% of online adults and 66% of online kids find reading on the Internet as valuable for children as reading a book. In China, 79% of parents and 88% of kids find reading on the Internet as valuable for children as reading a book.

France
At 78%, kids in France were most likely to report that online messaging techniques and texting make learning to write well more difficult . Online French parents (6%) are least likely to consider their child to be their friend About three in four French kids feel the Internet has made learning much easier for children today, the lowest, with Italy, of all the countries surveyed Online French adults are the least likely of the countries surveyed to have sent a flaming email, as 95% have never done so Half of parents in France admit they have monitored their childrens Internet usage by reading their email or tracking websites they visited French parents are far more confident that their children are following family rules for Internet use than the children are reporting (85% parents vs. 71% kids) More than half of online adults use webcams. One in four online adults in France use webcams less than once a month, and only 15% use them at least once a weekless than half the proportion of online adults who report weekly usage in China, India and Brazil. Only about one-third of adults in France have made friends online 70% of parents in France are likely to see their childs time spent on the Internet as time mainly learning rather than wasting time, and 66% of kids agree

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Germany
Online adults in Germany report the highest level of socializing with family or friends in the real world at 23 hours per week. Overall adults in the countries surveyed report spending 15 hours per week socializing with family or friends in the real world. 55% of German parents have had a media-free day at home, during which their child did not watch TV, go online or use the computer. This is the highest out of the countries surveyed, compared with 20% globally. Online parents in Germany are the least dissatisfied (6%) with the amount of fun their family has together Kids in Germany (7%) were the least likely to agree that it is easier to communicate with their family about touchy subjects online than on the phone or in person One in three online adults do not use photo-sharing websites, the lowest use in the countries surveyed At 78%, German adults are among the least likely to report that since they started using email and IM, there are some people they never talk to on the phone anymore Overall, 10% of kids in all the countries surveyed report the risks of using the Internet outweigh the benefits. Online adults in Germany are the most risk-averse with just over one in four (26%) reporting the risks of using the Internet outweigh the benefits. Overall, 5% of adults in the countries surveyed dislike learning about new websites or Internet communication tools, with the highest levels of dislike being reported in Germany (12%) and Japan (12%) One in five online parents in Germany have caught their child doing something they dont approve of, but only 9% have reprimanded their child for such behavior 0ver one-third of kids agree that online and text messaging may obstruct learning to write for children Parental confidence in Germany is extremely high81% are confident they know what their child is looking at online. The children report a different story as two-thirds of kids report their parents know what they are doing online.

India
About one in four (24%) online adults sometimes share a secret or something personal with someone online. Those in India (36%) are most likely to do so. Of all countries surveyed, online adults in India report the most mean hours per week sending text messages from a phone (four) Online adults in India (52%) are more likely than those in all other countries to say that the Internet makes it harder to have meaningful conversations with family members Of all countries surveyed, 14% of online adults report they would miss out on family activities without the Internet. India reports much higher levels than other countries. In India, adults (41%) and parents (43%) are much more likely than those in other countries to say they would miss out on family activities without the Internet Online adults in Japan (68%) and India (68%) are most likely to report their Internet connection is just the right speed Overall, adults in the countries surveyed report spending 15 mean hours per week socializing with family or friends in the real world. Online adults in India report the lowest level of socializing with family or friends in the real world at eight mean hours per week One in three online kids are more willing to communicate with their family about touchy subjects online than on the phone or in person. This percentage almost doubles in India (59%). Online adults and parents in India (10% adults, 16% parents) feel their children dont spend enough time online About one-quarter of all online adults surveyed and more than two in five in Indiareport since they started using email and IM, there are some people they never talk to on the phone anymore Among all parents surveyed, one in three (35%) agree that their child is more careful online than they are. Almost three in four (72%) online parents in India agree that their child is more careful online than they are.

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Italy
Italy reports the most agreement between how often a parent reports knowing where a child is online and the percentage of time a child reports that the parents know where they are (77% parents vs. 78% kids) At 2%, kids in Italy are least likely to have ignored an email from a family member, compared with 11% worldwide Italy places the least amount of responsibility on children to protect themselves online (7%) and feels that most of the responsibility lies with the parents (91%) At 13%, Italy has one of the lowest parental reports of children connecting to the Internet at a friends house Half of online parents in Italy admit they have monitored their childrens Internet usage by reading their email or tracking websites they visited using cookies 73% of adults in Italy say they are usually the first of their friends and family to check out a new technology, compared with three in five worldwide Italian parents (60%) are notably less enthusiastic about the Internet as a means to facilitate learning than most other countries Adults in Italy report not being able to live without Internet access (55%), cell phones (54%) and cars (47%) About one in four online Italian adults do not know how to keep their personal information secure when using the Internet Fewer than one in five Italian adults and kids have/use short text messages like Twitter (15% adults; 17% kids)

Japan
Online parents in Japan are least likely to set parental controls (18%), monitor their children online (10%), or discuss safe online habits (10%) Online Japanese parents report the lowest incidents of reprimanding (12%) or catching their child doing something online that they do not approve of (3%) More than elsewhere, a large portion of online parents in Japan (40%) report that it is also the childs responsibility to protect him/herself online Online adults in Japan report the lowest mean hours per week spent instant messaging from a computer (one hour) and socializing with family or friends online (two hours) Online Japanese adults have the largest disagreement with the statements, I am confident that my personal information online is secure (55%) and I know how to keep my personal information secure when using the Internet (29%) Online Japanese adults put more responsibility on children (40%) to protect themselves online than other countries surveyed and the least amount of responsibility on parents (80%) than other countries surveyed Japanese adults and kids are much more apathetic about the Internet, with 38% of adults and 47% of kids reporting that they neither like nor dislike learning about the Internet Overall 5% of countries surveyed dislike learning about new websites or Internet communication tools; the highest levels of dislike are reported in Germany (12%) and Japan (12%) Though 62% of kids in Japan feel the Internet makes learning easier, this is a lower proportion than in other countries. Japanese adults (16%), parents (12%) and kids (27%) were among the most likely to report that not enough time is spent on the Internet by children. Overall, online adults report their knowledge of using a computer to be terrible/bad 6% of the time, while almost one-quarter of online adults in Japan, reports their knowledge using a computer to be terrible/bad Only one in four online parents in Japan had discussed sharing personal information on the Internet with their child

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Sweden
Sweden is the only country where the Internet did not make the top three list of things they couldn't live without; instead the top three were cellphone (46%), television (46%) and car (39%) Kids in Sweden (nine hours) and Brazil (13 hours) socialize online to a greater extent than those in other countries (five hours) Parents in Sweden were most likely (35%) to have caught their child engaging in activities that they do not approve of online Along with Japan, Swedish parents were least likely to set parental controls on family computers (22% for Sweden, 18% for Japan) Overall, Swedish parents are among the most likely to say that they can talk to their child about anything (88%) Adults and kids in Sweden are least likely to know about services like Twitter (30% adults, 67% kids) 53% of online parents in Sweden report their child connects to the Internet at a friends house, compared with 22% worldwide Swedish online parents feel more knowledgeable discussing sensitive topics such as finances, sex, and drugs than the websites their children are frequenting (80% finance, 64% sex, 71% drugs, vs. 60% frequented websites) Half of kids in Sweden agree that online messaging and texting make learning to write well harder for children In some countries, there was a wide discrepancy between parents and kids regarding parents knowing what their child is looking at online. However, in Sweden, parents and kids have a high level of agreement (58% parents vs. 53% kids)

United Kingdom
Internet access (49%) tops the chart in the UK for things that individuals couldnt live without, followed by cell phone (42%) and car (41%) There are major discrepancies between kids' reports of time online versus parents' reporting of their childs online use. Kids report spending twice as much time online as parents estimate (44 hours per month kids vs. 19 hours per month parents). At 53%, kids in the UK are the most likely to agree that online messaging and texting make it more difficult for children to learn to write well Kids in the UK are most likely to stay in touch with their parents via text messaging (29%) Kids in the UK (70%) and China (68%) are the most likely to skip technological communications and meet their grandparents in person Online adults in the UK (20%) are the least likely to talk on a cell phone, text message, IM or email family, friends, co-workers, boyfriends/girlfriends on vacation than online adults from the other countries surveyed Adults in the UK (6%) are the least likely to ignore an email or instant message from a family member 54% of online parents in the UK say they have set parental controls, higher than the global average of one-third Parental confidence in the UK is extremely high 81% are confident they know what their child is looking at online; the children report a different story69% of kids report their parents know what they are doing online Along with Australia, parents in the UK have high confidence in the knowledge of what their child does online (Australia [86%], UK [81%]) Just after India and Australia, adults in the UK are most likely to agree that the Internet makes learning easier for children today (85% agree)

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United States
U.S. kids have an average of 83 online friends, the highest number among the 12 countries surveyed Kids in the U.S. are out-texting their global cohorts, at ten hours per week versus four hours per week for the global average U.S. kids report spending twice as much time online as parents estimate (42 hours per month kids vs. 18 hours per month parents) 63% of U.S. parents, and 55% of U.S. kids, believe that children spend too much time on the Internet In the U.S., there is evidence that early adopters also use webcams to communicate with friends and family. 55% of online adults who say they are early adopters use webcams. 27% of this group use webcams at least once a week. There is a large discrepancy between how often U.S. parents think they know where their child is online and how often kids report their parents know where they are online (73% parents vs. 61% kids) Half of U.S. kids agree that IM and texting make learning to write more difficult Almost half of online parents in the U.S. (47%) have reprimanded their child for doing something online they dont approve of

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Additional Findings

Maintaining Social Graces in an Online World

Most adults use the Internet in a positive way. Very few report that they have sent abusive emails or made fun of other people online. Those in France (95%), Canada (93%), and the U.S. (93%) are least likely to have sent a flaming email, while those in India (10%) and Brazil (9%) are most likely to have done so. Adults are more likely to criticize other peoples comments or ideas online than send abusive emails, though the frequency of this behavior is relatively low: about one in five (21%) report criticizing often or sometimes. This behavior is least likely to occur in Sweden and Japan (both 8% report doing it at least sometimes). If an adult has sent an abusive email, criticized someone or made fun of someone online, they are far more likely to be male than female. Most kids are conducting themselves graciously online. In general, few parents (22%) report that they have caught their child doing something they do not approve of online. Parents in Japan (3%) are least likely to report this, while parents in Canada (32%), Sweden (35%), and Brazil (31%) are most likely to have caught their child engaging in activity they dont approve of. In all countries except for Germany, a greater proportion of parents reprimand their child for inappropriate online behavior than the number who report actually catching their child engaging in such deeds. Even though kids engagement in ungracious behavior online is low, about half of parents in Brazil (66%), France (50%), and Italy (50%) have monitored their childrens Internet usage by reading their email or tracking websites they visited using cookies. Parents are least likely to have monitored their childrens Internet usage in Japan (10%), China (22%), and India (24%). While parents in Japan are least likely to set parental controls, monitor their children, or discuss safe online habits, these parents also report the lowest incidents of reprimanding or catching their child doing something online that they do not approve of.

Canada (93%), and the U.S. (93%) report never having sent an abusive (flaming) email (95%), Canada (93%), and the U.S. (93%) report never having sent an abusive (flaming) email 3% of online adults have sent an email in an abusive way at least sometimes, but this occurs more often in India (10%) and Brazil (9%) About one-fifth (21%) of online adults sometimes criticize other peoples comments or ideas online at least sometimes, but this happens more often in Brazil (37%), China (35%), and India (27%), and less often in Sweden (8%) and Japan (8%) Online males (63%) are more likely to have criticized other peoples comments or ideas online than online females (46%) Only about one in ten (12%) online adults sometimes make fun of other people online, but those in India (34%) are most likely to do so

Criticizing and Abusive Emails

88% of online adults report never sending an abusive email Online males (16%) are more likely to report having sent an abusive email than online females (7%) More than nine in ten online adults in France (95%),

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For the Love of Cars

When given a short list of items and asked which of these could they live without, a majority of online adults indicated they cannot live without Internet access. However, this finding varies by country and gender. Internet access topped the list of necessities for the UK, Germany, Italy, and Brazil. Most adults in the U.S., Canada, France, and Australia would prefer not to live without their car, while adults in China and India are most attached to their cell phones. In fact, adults in China tend to be the most attached to all items listed. Women and men dont vary dramatically in most cases, though men feel more attached to the data on their computers while women are more attached to their pets and make-up.

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Birds and Bees or Bits and Bytes?

Among difficult issues that parents and adults discuss with children, it is surprising how knowledgeable adults feel across a variety of topics from family finances to sex and drugs to their childrens Internet activity. Overall, mothers feel more knowledgeable discussing sex than do fathers. Not surprisingly, parents in some countries, for example, Brazil, feel far more knowledgeable discussing these sometimes sensitive topics than do parents in other countries, for example, China and Japan. In general, parents in most countries are more likely to feel knowledgeable discussing technology, drugs, or finances with children than they would talking about sex. It could be that parents are simply more uncomfortable, and not necessarily less knowledgeable, when it comes to discussing sex with their children. In countries where parents feel knowledgeable discussing finances, sex, and drugs, parents are also more likely to feel knowledgeable discussing their childrens Internet activity, specifically websites their children frequently visit and sharing personal information on the Internet. In some countries, parents actually feel more knowledgeable discussing sometimes sensitive topics such as finances, sex, and drugs than the websites their children are frequenting. This is true in Brazil (finances 72%, sex 75%, drugs 92%, vs. frequented websites 66%) and Sweden (finance 80%, sex 64%, drugs 71%, vs. frequented websites 60%). Parents in the U.S. and Canada are most likely to report being knowledgeable about the Internet activities in which their children participate, namely, the websites their children visit and sharing personal information over the Internet. Importantly, these are the same countries in which parents report feeling their children spend too much time online. Thus, it may be that parents in these countries are more sensitive to their childrens usage of the Internet and therefore more vigilant and cautious about how their childrens time is spent online.

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Two Schools of Thought Regarding Impact on Education

The Internet as an avenue for childrens development of reading and writing skills receives varied evaluations across countries. A majority of adults (54%) and kids (66%) feel that reading online is just as valuable for children as reading a book. Adults and kids in countries which emphasize the learning potential the Internet provides, namely China and India, are most likely to agree with this statement. Notably, kids in China (88%), India (77%), Australia (74%) and the UK (71%) are the most likely to find the value of online reading to be comparable to the value of reading a book. In general, kids are more likely than adults or parents to agree that online and offline reading are equally valuable. However, kids in France, Italy, and Japan are most likely to disagree that online reading provides just as valuable an experience as traditional books. Although many adults and parents agree with kids that reading on the Internet is just as valuable as traditional book readingand that the Internet may, in fact, make learning easier--they both report heightened concern about the impact of texting, emailing, instant messaging and posting information on social networks on the ability of children today to write well. Compared to all adults, parents have more varied feelings about the impact of email, instant messaging, text messaging, and posting information on social networking websites or blogs on childrens ability to write well. In many countries, kids echo parents and adults concern about the impact of these new communication tools on their ability to learn to write well.

valuable to children as reading a traditional book:as reading a traditional book: Adults: UK (59%), Australia (59%), Canada and the U.S. (both 51%) Parents: UK (63%), U.S. (62%), Australia (60%), Canada and Sweden (both 49%) Kids: Australia (74%), UK (71%), Canada (69%), and Sweden (63%)

Learning to Write: Hindered By Texts, Instant Messaging and Social Networking?

Overall 63% of adults and 50% of kids agree that online messaging and communication make it harder for children today to learn to write well A majority of adults in France (82%), the U.S. (78%), Canada (73%), Australia (72%), and Brazil (70%) agree that these types of online messaging and communication make learning to write well harder for todays children. Concern is shared by a smaller, but still significant majority of adults in the UK (69%), India (68%), Italy (64%), Sweden, Germany, and Japan (all 58%)

The only country in which less than half of adults agree that online messaging may impede learning to write well is China (46%) a country in which the benefits of learning using the Internet are heavily supported In several countries, including Canada (78%), the U.S. (77%), India (76%), France (76%), Australia (70%), Brazil (69%), Sweden (65%), and Italy (57%), the majority of parents agree that writing well is hindered by emailing, instant messaging and posting on social networking web sites or blogs Just one-third of parents in China (34%) agree that writing on the computer or text messaging may make it harder for children to learn to write well Parents in Germany, the UK, and Japan appear to be split on the role of these new technologies on the development of childrens writing skills: in Germany, 50% agree that it is a hindrance, while 50% disagree; in the UK, 51% agree, while 49% disagree; and, in Japan, 48% agree, while 52% disagree A majority of kids in France (78%) and Brazil (73%), followed by Australia (63%), Canada (63%), Italy (59%), and Japan (55%), agree that these online messaging techniques and texting make learning to write well more difficult for children Further, about half of kids in the UK (53%), the U.S.

Online Reading
Overall, 54% of online adults and 66% of online kids find reading on the Internet as valuable for children as reading a book Large majorities of adults, parents, and kids in China and India find the Internet provides reading just as valuable as a book for children Additionally, in the following countries, at least about half of respondents agree that reading online is equally as

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(52%), and Sweden (49%) also agree that online messaging and texting make learning to write well harder for children Only in Germany (38%) and China (34%) do fewer than half of kids agree that online and text messaging may obstruct learning to write for children

UK (61%), Kids in China (84%), India (76%), Italy (75%), France (66%), Japan (61%), Germany (58%), the UK (55%), and Australia (53%)

Parents and Kids Believe the Internet Facilitates Learning

Overall adults (78%) parents (82%) and kids (87%) agree that the Internet makes learning easier for children today Reports that the Internet has made learning much easier for children today are particularly high among kids in India (97%), China (96%), UK (95%), Australia (90%), Sweden (90%), Brazil (87%), U.S. (86%), and Canada (86%), followed by Germany (78%), France and Italy (both 74%). Though more than three in five kids in Japan feel the Internet makes learning easier, this is a lower proportion than kids in other countries. Interestingly, Japanese adults (16%), parents (12%) and kids (27%) were among the most likely to report that not enough time is spent on the Internet by children. A large majority of parents in China (94%), India (88%), Brazil (88%), the U.S. (86%), Australia (85%), the UK (84%), Germany (78%), Sweden (78%), and Canada (77%) believe the Internet makes learning easier for children today. Parents are notably less enthusiastic about the Internet as a means to facilitate learning in France (72%), Italy (60%), and Japan (64%). Most adults in India (89%), Australia (86%), the UK, China (both 85%), and Brazil (83%) agree that the Internet has eased the learning process, followed by the U.S. (78%), Sweden (74%), and Canada (72%)

Impact of Internet on Childrens Education

Overall adults (78%) parents (82%) and kids(87%) agree that the Internet makes learning easier for children today and about one-third of adults (37%) agree that the Internet makes it easier to educate children. Reports of this are particularly high among kids in India (97%), China (96%), UK (95%), Australia (90%), Sweden (90%), Brazil (87%), U.S. (86%), and Canada (86%), followed by Germany (78%), France and Italy (both 74%). Despite the finding that majorities of kids in all of these countries agree that the Internet makes learning easier, many kids still report that the time spent on the Internet is wasteful. Though still a majority (62%), kids in Japan are less likely than those in other countries to agree that the Internet facilitates learning. Interestingly, Japanese adults (16%), parents (12%), and kids (27%) were among the most likely to report that not enough time is spent online Despite the finding that majorities of kids in all of these countries think that the Internet makes learning easier, many kids still report that the time spent on the Internet is wasteful. Though still a majority (62%), kids in Japan are less likely than those in other countries to agree that the Internet facilitates learning. Interestingly, Japanese adults, parents, and kids were among the most likely to report that not enough time is spent online (16%). Though opinions vary across the countries surveyed, parents and adults within each country seem to have similar views about the impact of the Internet on their childrens education.

Effect on Ease of Teaching

Overall parents (39%) and adults (37%) report that the Internet makes it easier for parents to teach their children Parents in India (53%), the U.S. (57%), Canada (55%), the UK (53%) and Australia (50%), followed by those in Sweden (43%) and China (42% Adults in India (62%), Australia (50%), the UK (48%), U.S., Canada (both 44%), China and Sweden (both 42%)

Countries where online users predominantly believe children are mainly learning valuable skills online
Adults in India (64%), Italy (60%), France (58%), China (57%), and Japan (53%) Parents in France (70%), India (72%), Italy (67%), China (66%), Japan (63%), Germany (62%), and the

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Interestingly, in several countries, parents and adults are most likely to report that the Internet makes no difference in the difficulty or ease they have educating their children Parents in France (74%), Germany (73%), and Japan (68%) Adults in France (68%), Germany (62%), and Japan (58%) In China, adults (47%) and parents (43%) are by far the most likely to report that the Internet actually makes educating their children harder.

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