Chinese parents oppose children’s internet use

BEIJING - Many parents in China are not in favour of their children using the internet and a majority of them worry that surfing the net could adversely affect children’s studies, a new study has said.

Around 42.6 percent of parents surveyed “strongly oppose their children’s use of internet” or “relatively oppose”, while as high as 78.4 percent say they are worried that surfing the internet could negatively affect their children’s studies. Another 44.9 percent said they are worried about their children’s exposure to pornography, Xinhua reported.

The study was jointly published by the career development centre for Chinese Young Pioneers, the Centre for Humanities and Social Sciences Studies by Young Scholars at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Social Science Academic Press.

The statistics were based on a survey conducted from 2006 to 2009, said Li Wenge, director of the career development centre for the Chinese Young Pioneers.

Li said the respondents surveyed were elementary and middle school students as well as their parents and teachers in both urban and rural areas, developed and less-developed areas in 11 provinces in China.

In China, around 46.9 percent of internet users are under 25 years old, the report said. However, there are very few websites designed especially for minors, and many children do not know much about such websites, Shen Jie, head of the research project, was quoted as saying.