Michael McKinnon 11 Year Olds Have Adult Technology Skills

Michael McKinnon 11 Year Olds Have Adult Technology Skills but not the Maturity for Safe Internet Use Interview

A global survey, including responses from 800 parents of 10-13 year olds in Australia and New Zealand, has revealed the disconnect between the technological abilities of the tween age group and the intellectual maturity necessary to make the right decisions in the many complex situations they face online.

To develop a better understanding of how our technology-centric society impacts the lives of today's youth, AVG Technologies, a leading provider of Internet and mobile security, has commissioned Digital Diaries, a series of studies that examines the technology habits of different age groups.

Digital Maturity, the fourth installment of research from the series, examines how the average 10 to 13 year old is using the Internet. While tweens aren't managing stock portfolios or paying the mortgage online, their online activity closely mirrors that of an adult. Ten to 13 year olds are spending large amounts of time on social networks, connected mobile devices or engaged in online gaming.

The result: tweens are open to being led into complex social situations that require adult reasoning - long before they are ready.

Michael McKinnon, Security Advisor at AVG (AU/NZ) Pty Ltd, the distributor of the award-winning AVG Internet and mobile security software in Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific, said: "Children are online at such an early age that many have developed the technical maturity of adults by their tween years. However, they have not developed the equivalent intellectual or emotional maturity necessary to make the right decisions in the many complex situations they face online.

"It is important that parents understand the role technology plays in their children's lives to help their kids be as smart and safe as possible whenever they are connected," he advised.

Who Knows Best?
The Digital Maturity survey shows that globally only 8 percent of parents believe their 10 to 13 year old is better informed about the Internet than they are. Locally, this figure rises to 10 percent in New Zealand and 17 percent in Australia.

Fathers are much more likely to consider themselves Internet experts than Mums, with only 2 percent crediting their children with knowing more. In Australia, a quarter (23 percent) of mothers admit that their children know more about the Internet than they do.

Watching Over Them
According to global responses, just over half of all tweens have their own PC and a significant proportion of those use their PCs in their bedrooms - 36 percent in Australia and 44 percent in New Zealand which is in the middle of the range between 81 percent in Germany and 11 percent in the Czech Republic. This indicates there is often no consistent, real-time parental supervision in place.

Parents seem to be in the dark about what their kids are up to online. Only half (54 percent) of Australian and 6 in 10 (61 percent) New Zealand parents have gone into their kids' computers to monitor their activities. This compares with the US where 72 percent have done so.

And less than half (43 percent Australian and 48 percent New Zealand) of the parents have logged onto the social media profile of their 10-13 year old child. In both countries, Mums are more likely to check up on their kids than Dads.

While the survey suggests that a majority of parents surveyed (92 percent) feel they are savvier about the Internet than their children, there is room for much concern about their kids' online activities.

All Things Social
A staggering 58 percent of parents admit their 10 to 13 year olds have access to mainstream social networks, directly contravening the established minimum age restriction to join Facebook at 13 years.

For ten year olds in Australia and New Zealand the figures are 32 and 37 percent respectively but by the time they are 13, more than three-quarters are registered on the major social media sites via a PC and almost half (48 percent in Australia and 47 percent in New Zealand) via their mobile phones.

According to their parents, 1 in 5 (19 percent) Australian 13 year olds is spending more than an average of an hour a day on social networks.

Just Playing Around
Having a games console is now the norm for this age group: 28 percent of Australian and 21 percent of New Zealand tweens are even spending an average of more than an hour a day on them.

McKinnon said: "Adults often take for granted the decades of daily, hourly, minute-by-minute training we call upon every time we engage with other people. And not even we can navigate social situations without having to reconcile a host of complex issues, from simple etiquette to gross invasions of privacy, sexual inappropriateness and social bias.

"The Digital Maturity survey provides encouragement to parents to help tweens develop the skills to use online networks with confidence. Importantly, parents and tweens also need to speak up if they detect an issue."

McKinnon believes the dangerous gap between the age of digital maturity and the age children achieve adult levels of emotional and intellectual maturity is essentially a perfect storm for tweens: "The phenomenon creates a situation where teens are determining the rules of engagement and the result is an environment that is often devoid of basic social courtesies and ethics.

"Mutual respect for openness and privacy within a family is a fine line to be negotiated, be it in the real or cyber world. We know that to protect children throughout their lives, parents have to engage, set boundaries and help kids navigate both their physical and online societies," he said.

Other key findings of 10 to 13 year olds' online experiences are:
Cyber bullying is the highest, at 9 percent, in Australia and the US, which is above the all countries' average of one in 20 tweens having been victims.
Two-thirds of parents say they know their kids' passwords. In the US, this peaks at 78 percent.
Tweens in Italy (90 percent), Czech Republic (86 percent) and UK (83 percent) are the most prolific users of SMS, while France (61 percent) and Australia (62 percent) used the service the least.
Tweens in the UK (36 percent) are more likely to own a Smartphone than their US (28 percent) and French (16 percent) counterparts.
Italian (76 percent) and Spanish (72 percent) tweens are most likely to have their own personal computer, while New Zealanders (40 percent) and Canadians (53 percent) are the least likely to.

AVG Digital Diaries Campaign: Digital Diaries is a year-long look at how technology is affecting childhood, with each stage looking at a different age group.

The first stage of AVG's Digital Diaries campaign was called Digital Birth and was released in October 2010 and covered 0-2 year olds. It found that on average infants acquire a digital identity at six months old.

The second stage called Digital Skills was released in January 2011 and found that for two-to-five year olds 'tech' skills are increasingly replacing 'life' skills.

The Digital Playground study, which was released in June 2011, interviewed 2200 mothers with Internet access in North America (US, Canada), the EU5 (UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain), Japan, Australia and New Zealand with children aged between six and nine years old. This suggested that 51 percent of six to nine year olds frequent children's social sites but are generally unprepared for the dangers lurking within them.

The Digital Maturity study interviewed over 4,000 parents with Internet access in North America (US, Canada), the EU5 (UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain), Japan, Australia and New Zealand with children aged between 10 and 13 years-old.

Keep in touch with AVG (AU/NZ) with the blog: www.resources.avg.com.au

Based in Melbourne, AVG (AU/NZ) Pty Ltd distributes the AVG range of anti-virus and Internet Security products in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. AVG software solutions provide real-time protection against the malware, viruses, spam, spyware, adware, worms, Trojans, phishing and exploits used by cyber-criminals, hackers, scammers and identity thieves. AVG protects everything important and personal inside computers - documents, account details and passwords, music, photos and more - all while allowing users to work, bank, shop and play games online in safety.

AVG provides outstanding technical solutions and exceptional value for consumers, small to medium business and enterprise clients. AVG delivers real-time protection across desktop, and notebook PCs, plus file and e-mail servers in the home and at work in SMBs, corporations, government agencies and educational institutions.

Interview with Michael McKinnon

Question: What are 10-13 year olds up to on the Internet?

Michael McKinnon: While tweens aren't managing stock portfolios or paying the mortgage online, their Internet activity closely mirrors that of an adult. Ten to 13 year olds are spending large amounts of time on social networks, connected to mobile devices or playing online games. And occasionally they use it for homework and research!


Question: Do most parents supervise their children, when they are on the internet?

Michael McKinnon: Recent research conducted by AVG has revealed that half of Australian children have their own PC and a third of those use them in their bedrooms.

Whether the PCs are in family areas or behind closed doors, our research has revealed that some parents seem to be in the dark about what their kids are up to online. Two-thirds of parents say they know their kids' passwords, and just over half have logged into their social media profiles. The difference between supervision and being accused by your children of spying is in the openness of communication within families, so it is important to set expectations and agree on acceptable behaviours first.


Question: What type of pressures and risks are Tweens being confronted with online that they are not capable of protecting themselves against?

Michael McKinnon: Children are online at such an early age that, by the time they're teenagers, many have developed the technical maturity of adults. But that doesn't translate to an equivalent intellectual or emotional maturity to make the right decisions in the many complex situations they face online - despite what they might tell you!

Adults often take for granted the decades of training we call upon every time we engage with other people and try to navigate social situations from simple etiquette to gross invasions of privacy, sexual inappropriateness and social bias.

Teens are determining the rules of engagement and the result is an environment that is often devoid of basic social courtesies and ethics. As an example, current figures put 9 percent of our 10 to 13 year olds as having been victims of cyber bullying.

By dropping into family conversations the situations you experience online, you'll be helping your children absorb the day to day subtleties of Internet use: that you received a 'weird' email today; the 'too good to be true' offer you saw online and stopped just in time before you clicked on it; that someone who seemed quite nice tried to befriend you; and even though you're really excited about next week's holiday, you didn't put any details on your wall.


Question: How active do parents need to be in protecting their kids online?

Michael McKinnon: The cyber world that children inhabit continues to shift and evolve. The sites children are using today won't be the ones they're addicted to next week.

Keep track of the online safety instruction your child is receiving at school and reinforce those messages. You can't always be watching over them so education is vital as to the risks and self-awareness ideas for protection.

Remind your kids about not clicking on attachments and links from strangers, no matter how enticing.

Be alert to the potential dangers from malware, phishing attacks, malicious QR codes and all those other cyber crimes when enjoying the Internet and know what to do should anything untoward happen. That way your family can continue to benefit from the world of information and opportunity as safely as is possible.


Question: Facebook has a minimum age restriction of 13 years - how many 10 to 13 year olds are using Facebook?

Michael McKinnon: A third of Australian ten year olds are registered on the major social media sites, such as Facebook. By the time they are 13, more than three-quarters connect via a PC and almost half via their mobile phones.

Many parents are unaware that this directly contravenes the established minimum age restriction to join Facebook at no earlier than 13 years.


Question: How much time are kids spending on social media?

Michael McKinnon: About 20 percent of Australian 13 year olds are spending more than an hour a day on social networks.


Question: Can you talk about the mutual respect for openness and privacy within a family in regards to Internet use?

Michael McKinnon: Mutual respect for openness and privacy within a family is a fine line to be negotiated, be it in the real or cyber world. We know that to protect children throughout their lives, parents have to engage, set boundaries and help kids navigate both their physical and online societies.

Kids will naturally push back against restrictions or boundaries parents put on their use of the Internet and social networking; it just goes with the territory. But the more open the discussion within families, and between parents within their kids' friendship groups, the easier it is to find the right balance. When everyone understands the dangers and everyone is on the same page, your tweens will be more likely to see your reasoning. But they are still children, and parents need to take a strong stand to protect their children and help them protect themselves and their friends.

Mums are more likely to check up on their kids than Dads. Perhaps there is an opportunity here for both to become more involved.


Question: What boundaries do you suggest be implemented in homes, in regards to the internet, Australia wide?

Michael McKinnon: Part of the boundary setting, particularly for the pre-teens, is that you have access to their passwords and are allowed to be a social networking friend. Discuss between you what is fair and age appropriate Internet use. Then trust them initially with self-regulation on those agreed boundaries.

Mutual respect means that kids don't open accounts without their parents' approval and parents don't sneak into their computers to spy. Kids must know they can come to their parents immediately anything untoward happens, without embarrassment or censure.

When using social networking sites such as Facebook, the language used by children, the often unguarded expressions and the photos they post may not be appropriate in the eyes of their parents. But the last thing a parent should do is make any online comment. That's the easiest way to be locked out. Have a quiet word with them face to face.


Question: What tips do you have for parents to protect and educate their tweens about online dangers?

Michael McKinnon: 1. Keep your knowledge current: Many parents admit that their kids are more technically savvy and are on top of all the latest digital fads. So step one for parents is to educate themselves before they can truly help their kids. By simply being aware and recognising the names of games and sites, you've entered their world and have some 'cred'.

Cybersmart is part of the Australian Government's cybersafety program and provides activities, resources and practical advice to help kids, teens and parents safely enjoy the online world. It includes a page for parents with the latest 'Tagged' updates on subjects such as how to encourage young people to reflect on the real life consequences caused by cyber bullying, sexting.
ThinkYouKnow is an Internet safety program delivering interactive training to parents, carers and teachers.
Stay Smart Online is a one stop shop providing information for Australian Internet users on the simple steps they can take to protect their personal and financial information online. The site has informative videos, quizzes and a free Alert Service that provides information on the latest threats and vulnerabilities.

2. Install security software with 'Nanny' facilities: teaching children how to make their own responsible choices requires a little over-the-shoulder parenting along the way. And to give you extra support, AVG's LinkScanner helps parents protect their kids' positive Internet experiences. While they search or surf the net, download music, documents and pictures, send emails or instant message, LinkScanner scans all documents, files, web pages and web links, in real time, before they are opened, to make sure they haven't been compromised.

3. Encourage them to use age-appropriate sites: Kids.Net.Au is a search engine with safe, age appropriate sites and directories.

4. Report inappropriate activity: always report any cyber bullying to your child's school or the police. Never ignore it.
If you have found any material online that you believe is prohibited or inappropriate you can contact the Australian Communications and Media Authority. This site also has a range of online safety resources for parents and caregivers.
The Government's SCAMwatch site provides a reporting facility to assist with the policing of cyber crime and alerting others to fraudulent Internet activity.

5. Passwords: we should all create strong passwords, which are different for each site accessed and each PC and smartphone. A strong password should contain upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols to make it hard to break. The length of the password is the most critical part, so aim for at least 10 characters in length or more if you can.
If a parent has responsibility for scheduling the setting and changing of all household passwords then it is an easier exercise to maintain access to your children's devices and Internet sites.

6. Talk in the real world too: Encourage your children to share their online experiences so you know what's going on. Swap stories at the dinner table about amazing YouTube videos and funny things friends have said online.

7. Protect your hardware: Install always on, automatically updated anti-virus and Internet security software to protect all your PCs, laptops and iPads and smartphones.


Interview by Brooke Hunter