Internet dangers filter throughA study revealing the trends amongst teenagers in Namibia with regards to information and communication technology, aka the internet, revealed some interesting, and worrying, trends. Namibia’s children are no better off than those in the first world 0 The influx of information and communication technology (ICT) has introduced Namibia’s children and their families to an array of digital experiences. The enormous potential of mobile phones, internet and other ICT facilities is undisputed and positive differences are seen in how children and young people communicate, learn, access information and express opinions on matters pertinent to their development. The field research was comprised of a survey of 735 young people between the ages of 13 and 17. The study is called ‘Voices of children: An exploratory research study on knowledge, attitudes and practices of information and communication technology (ICT) use and online safety risks by children in Namibia’.
This is Namibia’s first exploratory research on knowledge, attitudes and practices of ICT use by, and online safety risks of, children. The report is said to be a “milestone in the process of mobilising national and international action to respond to the emerging risks facing children when they go online.”
According to the study, as they welcome realities of increased technology penetration in Namibia, members of society also need to be aware of the significant threats which have infiltrated the lives of children and young people via the virtual online space.
In many instances, the online environment has introduced children to age-inappropriate content, exposed them to child sexual abuse offenders and created a new platform for bullying, scenarios which penetrate into the children’s off-line experiences.
Less than one in 10% of the participants did not use the internet, with smartphones being the most popular form of device used to access the internet, with other popular devices including laptops and personal computers, and school computers – where available.
The primary site for internet access is the home, either in a private room or not. The most popular activity online reported by both young males and females is watching videos, movies, or TV online, with 46 % of boys and 43 % of girls doing this more than once a day.
Other popular online activities include school work, particularly for girls, the use of social networking sites, and looking for health information. The main difference between the internet use of boys and girls can be seen in the playing of online games, with boys far more likely to participate in that activity.
Self-reported knowledge of the internet is higher among boys than girls, with self-reported knowledge of the internet rising with age also.
Just under half (47%) of young people reported that they spoke to their parents, guardians or caregiver about their online experiences, and what they do online, with no significant differences by age or gender.
According to the respondents in the study, teachers have a greater knowledge of the internet, and are more likely to monitor, supervise and provide guidance on their students’ internet use, than parents, guardians or caregivers.
Boys are however, also more likely to report that they had lied about their age online than girls (40% versus 31%), and were, in general, respondents of an older age.
Respondents demonstrated only moderate levels of knowledge of concepts or constructs related to the internet (pornography; Facebook; cyber bulling; phishing; and sexting) with just 66 % of definitions identified correctly.
The definition most respondents identified correctly was that for Facebook (91%) with phishing being the least likely to be answered correctly (44%). Girls were more likely to answer correctly for all definitions, apart from pornography, with knowledge levels overall increasing with increasing age.
Types of information most likely to be shared online among the total sample were, in order, gender (71%); hobbies (61%); school details (60%); actual name (53%); and age and or date of birth (51%), with the least likely to be shared detail being of parents’ bank details (2%) and other details of parents (4%); details about their property at home (11%).
The most prevalent forms of negative experiences are images of a sexual or violent nature. For example, 68% of respondents reported having seen sexual content they did not wish to see, while 31% had been sent sexually explicit images of people