CGI.br releases results of the first TIC Kids Online Brazil survey

Indicators were collected from interviews with children and adolescents and their parents

The Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br) announces the results of the first TIC Kids Online Brazil survey. Conducted in 25 European countries in 2010, the survey aims to collect data on online opportunities and safe Internet use. The survey is the result of an agreement between the Center for Information and Communication Technology Studies (CETIC.br) and the London School of Economics (LSE) to bring to Brazil the methodology used in the European EU Kids Online survey.

CETIC.br adapted the European survey model to the Brazilian reality while maintaining comparability with the results from other countries. In total, 1,580 interviews were conducted with children/adolescents aged 9 to 16 who are Internet users and the same number of parents. Survey data is available at www.cetic.br.

The survey reveals that Internet use frequency is high in the age group between 9 and 16 years: 47% use the Internet every day or almost every day. Internet use for this profile occurs in a variety of locations, notably at school (42%), at home (40% use the Internet in the living room or other shared space in the home), at Internet cafés (35%), and via mobile phones, mentioned by 18% of users aged 9 to 16.

Activities conducted on the Internet
Among the activities carried out by the child/adolescent on the Internet in the month prior to the survey, the most mentioned are: doing schoolwork (82%), visiting a social network (68%), watching videos on YouTube, for example (66%), playing online games, and using instant messaging (54%). More complex or interactive activities, such as posting content, are less mentioned: 40% posted photos, videos, or music, and 24% posted a message on a site. The proportion of 9 to 16-year-old Internet users who wrote in a blog in the last month is 10%.

Use of social networks: safety and privacy
Among children and adolescents aged 9 to 16 who are Internet users, 70% have their own profile on a social network. The presence of Brazilian children and adolescents on these networks increases with age: 42% of users aged 9 to 10 have their own profile, a proportion that reaches 83% in the age group of 15 to 16 years. "Notably, the use of social networks in Brazil exceeds usage in Europe among children in this age range, where usage reaches 57%,” states Alexandre Barbosa, manager of CETIC.br. Among those who have their profile, 42% are private, configured so only friends can view it. Another 31% allow contacts of their friends to also view their profile, meaning it is partially private. Additionally, 25% have public profiles, which can be viewed by anyone. Only 2% are unaware of their profile settings on social networks.

Furthermore, 54% of Internet users claim they know how to change the privacy settings on their social network profile. 59% know how to block a person’s messages, and 44% claim to be able to block spam. Regarding more complex issues, 55% reported knowing how to find information on using the Internet safely, and 41% can compare different sites to verify the truthfulness of information, indicating challenges for safe Internet use.
Additionally, 23% of Internet users aged 11 to 16 have had online contact with someone they did not know personally. Among those who made this contact, about a quarter reported having met someone in person whom they first met online.
Regarding experiences lived by children and adolescents, 22% of Internet users aged 11 to 16 reported having gone through some situation of discomfort or upset in the last 12 months. Among these, almost half (47%) said this type of situation happened online. 

Perception of children's and adolescents' Internet use by parents or guardians
37% of parents/guardians believe it is unlikely their child will experience any discomfort or embarrassment on the Internet in the next six months; 71% of parents/guardians believe their children use the Internet safely, and 35% think their children are sufficiently capable of dealing with situations that may trouble them online. "Even though parents serve as important mediators for children's and adolescents' Internet usage, the survey results indicate their perception of Internet risks is low," notes Alexandre.

Another important fact is that 47% of parents/guardians use the Internet, which can influence how children are mediated on the web. When asked where they acquire information about safe Internet usage, the majority of parents (52%) cite TV, radio, newspapers, or magazines as common sources.

In August 2012, CERT.br released a booklet with specific tips on social network safety. The material is part of the new version of the Internet Safety Guide, available at https://cartilha.cert.br/. Information on Internet safety initiatives is aggregated at the site InternetSegura: www.internetsegura.br/.

About the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee – CGI.br
The Brazilian Internet Steering Committee coordinates and integrates all Internet service initiatives in the country, promoting technical quality, innovation, and dissemination of services offered. Based on principles of multilateralism, transparency, and democracy, CGI.br represents a multistakeholder Internet governance model with active participation from all sectors of society in its decisions. One of its formulations is the 10 Principles for Internet Governance and Use (https://www.cgi.br/principios). More information at https://www.cgi.br/.

About the Brazilian Network Information Center – NIC.br
The Brazilian Network Information Center — NIC.br (https://www.nic.br/) is a non-profit civil entity that implements the decisions and projects of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee. Ongoing activities of NIC.br include coordinating the domain name registration — Registro.br (https://www.registro.br/), studying, responding to, and addressing security incidents in Brazil - CERT.br (https://www.cert.br/), researching and developing network and operations technologies — CEPTRO.br (https://www.ceptro.br/), producing indicators about information and communication technologies — CETIC.br (https://www.cetic.br/) and hosting the W3C office in Brazil (https://www.w3c.br/).

About CETIC.br
The Center for Information and Communication Technology Studies (CETIC.br) is responsible for producing indicators and statistics on the availability and use of the Internet in Brazil, publishing periodic analyses and information about the development of the network in the country. More information at https://www.cetic.br/.

Press Contacts:

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Communication Office - NIC.br
Caroline D’Avo - Communication Advisor - caroline@nic.br
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This content was automatically translated with the support of artificial intelligence.