Seven out of 10 young Irish teenagers use social networking sites such as Bebo and MySpace. But most parents have little understanding of the phenomenon including the dangers associated with it, Government-commissioned research released today indicates.
The survey, conducted as part of a wider study of Irish internet usage,also reveals differences between teenagers' use of the internet when compared with adults. For example, while almost half of adults use the internet for accessing news or current affairs information, this figure falls to just 14 per cent among those aged between 14 and 17.
According to the study of 800 home internet users, conducted last month online and by telephone, 23 per cent of all online users use social networking sites.
However, the figure was far higher for the young teenagers surveyed. The study found that 70 per cent of this group use social networking sites such as Bebo, MySpace, Facebook and YouTube.
Despite ongoing Government attempts to educate parents about the potential dangers of their children using social networking sites - such as placing personal information online - 54 per cent of parents said they have limited or no understanding of such sites.
Paradoxically, about four out of five parents said they have given advice or rules to their offspring concerning the threat posed by the internet, while 73 per cent have "basic rules" in place for protecting personal data. Similarly, 70 per cent of parents claimed to know what their children communicate online, with a similar percentage stating that they monitor their children's online activities.
According to Audrey Conlon, chairwoman of the Internet Advisory Board, this indicates a significant gap between what parents think they know about their children's internet usage and the reality.
"I am convinced there are situations where parents don't understand the length and breadth of this technology," she said yesterday. "They don't really comprehend how involved their children are in the use of new media technology."
Other differences in the way the internet is used by different generations also emerge from the survey.
For example, after social media sites, the second most popular reason young people use the internet is for school research (54 per cent), "random surfing" (53 per cent), e-mail (52 per cent) and online games (47 per cent).
By comparison, 80 per cent of adults said they use the internet for e-mail, followed by 79 per cent for "random surfing", 55 per cent for online shopping and 44 per cent for news or current affairs. Just 23 per cent said they use the internet to access social media sites.
The survey, compiled by iReach consultants, coincides with a free seminar for parents on social networking which takes place this Friday at the Conrad Hotel, Dublin.