Parents should be more aware of where their children access their internet content from, according to researcher Mary Anne Lauri, who this morning revealed that a fifth of parents said in a survey they do not know their children go online on mobile phones.

Speaking at a seminar organised by the Malta Communications Authority about ICT use by children, Prof. Lauri, from the University of Malta said most households, or 97.5%, that took part in the survey have internet access.

It was found that two thirds of children aged between eight and 15 use the internet every day. However, while half go online in their own room, less than a third of parents are aware of this.

Other highlights of the survey showed that nearly a quarter of children chat online, and another quarter watch videos, even though they’re not allowed to.

Prof. Lauri urged parents to adopt strategies to deal with this increased use of social networking. She said parents could set a rule that although their children could access their mobile devices anytime they wanted, they could not keep them in the same room where they were studying.

Using mobile devices was a stimulus response which came natural to everyone, even adults, however, in this way, parents would at least know when their children were accessing the internet.

For this survey, some 4,000 questionnaires were handed out to students in 24 schools and their parents to gage access, use and perceptions of the internet.

This is the third survey carried out since the consortium BeSmartOnline consortium was launched in 2010 to raise awareness about internet safety for minors, their parents and grandparents.

Speaking at the same seminar, eLearning Director Emanuel Zammit noted that zero risk meant reverting to pre-internet days, something that was impossible.

“Our challenge is therefore to strike a delicate balance between the lowest risk for our vulnerable students and their teachers, and the highest positive outcome from this virtual environment.

“It is important that children are empowered to make the right decisions when faced with such risks,” he added.

Parliamentary Secretary Jose Herrera meanwhile insisted that the role of parents was becoming more difficult and one of the major contributors was that portable devices were becoming the preferred tool to access the internet.

“It is important that children understand and start using the internet beyond social media and recognise its potential as a catalyst to a better life.”