Internet Habits and Safe Internet Use of Children in Turkey and Europe

Abstract

In this study, Internet use and activities of children and parents, the risks they encountered, and parental awareness related children’s Internet activities were reported by examining the findings based on 23 European countries and Turkey data of EU Kids Online project. In the study, the data were obtained via interviewing of 23.000 of 23 European countries’ and 1018 Turkish Internet-user children who were ages between 9 and 16 and one of their parents. The results showed that the majority of children’s Internet skills were not adequate and they were exposed to many online risks. Besides, the fact that parents’ Internet use rates were very low and they did not have enough knowledge to save their children from the Internet risks. To raise awareness of children about potential online risks, some precautions that families, school, policy makers and the Internet service providers might take were suggested in the discussion part of the study.