Internet usage frequency among children and adolescents increases, reports Cetic.br

Publication of the TIC Kids Online Brazil 2014 survey coincides with the launch of the Internet without Evildoings campaign, promoted by Unicef, Google, and Safernet

Using the Internet every day is a common habit for 81% of Brazilian children and adolescents with access to the network. This usage intensity, which recorded an increase of 18 percentage points compared to 2013, was found in the TIC Kids Online Brazil 2014 survey, conducted by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br), through the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br), part of the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br).

The release of the survey this Tuesday (28) takes place alongside the launch of the "Internet without Evildoings" campaign, promoted by the United Nations Children's Fund – Unicef, Google, and Safernet, with debates and video publications [link] aimed at raising awareness about safe internet use. The actions are also part of the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the Child and Adolescent Statute, celebrated on the 13th.

“The increased internet usage by children and adolescents should be celebrated, but with caution. On one hand, the internet is an environment that allows for broad knowledge exchange and provides various opportunities, but it is also a space that presents risks. It is necessary for young people to develop skills for the critical and safe use of the Internet,” says Alexandre Barbosa, manager of Cetic.br.

Conducted between October 2014 and February 2015, the TIC Kids Online Brazil 2014 survey is based on the methodological framework of the European network EU Kids Online, led by the London School of Economics. A total of 2,105 children and adolescent internet users aged 9 to 17 years were interviewed across the national territory. The same number of parents or guardians of the selected youth (2,105) were interviewed to identify their children's experiences as internet users.

Internet usage profile
Another highlight of the third edition of TIC Kids Online Brazil is mobility: 82% of children and adolescents stated they use the Internet via mobile phones. In 2013, this proportion was 53%. Internet access via tablets is also expanding: from 2% in 2012, it rose to 16% in 2013 and reached 32% in 2014. The living room or shared space in the house remains the most common access location (81%), followed by their own bedroom (73%).

Online risks and skills for safe internet use
Privacy and personal data protection were also examined in the survey. Among the children and adolescents present on social networks, 52% have public profiles, representing a growth of 10% compared to 2013. Regarding the skills to ensure privacy on the Internet, 45% claim to know how to disable the feature that shows their location, and only 28% say they know how to change filter preferences.

The TIC Kids Online Brazil reveals that, regarding cyberbullying, 15% of children and adolescents aged 9 to 17 reported being treated offensively by someone online. Among children and adolescents aged 11 to 17, 10% stated that someone used personal information in a way that upset them, while 21% declared receiving hate messages against groups of people. 

For more information about the TIC Kids Online Brazil 2014 survey, visit https://cetic.br/. 

This content was automatically translated with the support of artificial intelligence.