Youngsters need more education on internet behaviour, Hong Kong study recommends

The Hong Kong Playground Association has published the results of an independent study of 725 ‘youngsters’ (presumably individuals under age 18), warning that there is an urgent need for parents and teachers to educate the young on behaviour, law enforcement and the pitfalls of using the internet.

The study of the randomly chosen sample took place in Hong Kong between September and October last year and found that 98 percent of respondents owned either a smartphone, desktop or tablet computer with internet access, while three in four said they began surfing the web before they were eight or nine years of age.

13 percent said they had taken part in online gambling, while 21 percent had browsed pornographic content, but the majority claimed they mostly used the internet for communication, entertainment and learning.

However, there are concerns about the rather cavalier attitude which emerged, showing little respect for the law; almost one in five of respondents conceded that they would participate in illegal activity on the internet in the belief that “there was little chance of being caught.”

And half of the juvenile respondents also felt they could publish any comments or photos online, because they believe that everyone is entitled to freedom of speech.

There was also little regard for the concept of the right to privacy.

Researchers said that the results indicate a general lack of awareness about the need to obey the law in online behaviour, and that the solution was better school and parental guidance and education on using the Internet.

Related and similar