The number of children and adolescents seeking news on the Internet increases, points out Cetic.br
Survey TIC Kids Online Brazil 2017 began investigating the use of the network in citizenship and engagement activities among children and young people aged 9 to 17 years
The TIC Kids Online Brazil 2017 survey, released this Tuesday (18) by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br), through the Center for Studies on Information and Communication Technologies (Cetic.br) of the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br), indicates a significant growth in the consumption of online news by Brazilian children and adolescents aged 9 to 17: 51% of connected young people read and/or watch news on the Internet. In 2013, this proportion was only 34%.
Regarding practices carried out by children and adolescents on the Internet, communication and entertainment activities remain predominant, among them: sending instant messages (79%), watching videos online (77%), listening to music on the Internet (75%), and using social networks (73%). According to the survey, another common activity is conducting online searches, whether for schoolwork (76%) or out of curiosity or personal interest (64%). "Although communication and entertainment practices remain predominant among the young population, the Internet offers numerous other opportunities for citizenship development and engagement," highlights Alexandre Barbosa, manager of Cetic.br.
For the first time, TIC Kids Online points out that 40% of connected children and adolescents use the Internet to talk to people from other cities, countries, and cultures, 36% of them participate in pages or groups on the Internet on topics of interest, 28% seek information about health and 22% about what happens in their community. Additionally, 12% of connected children and adolescents talk on the Internet about politics or city or country issues, and 4% participate in campaigns or protests online.
Connectivity and usage dynamics
In its sixth edition, TIC Kids Online estimates that about eight in ten children and adolescents (85%) aged 9 to 17 were Internet users in 2017, which corresponds to 24.7 million young people in this age group across the country. In 2016, this proportion was 82%. The results also point to persistent regional and socioeconomic disparities in network access and usage: in urban (90%) and rural areas (63%); in the Southeast (93%) and North regions (68%); and in classes AB (98%) and DE (70%).
Over the years, the survey observed a growth in the use of mobile devices among children and adolescents to access the Internet. While in 2012, 21% accessed the network via cellphones, in 2017 it reached 93%, which represents 23 million children and adolescents. The use of the Internet through computers (considering desktops, laptops, and tablets) showed a decline of 37 percentage points: from 90% of children and adolescents in 2013 to 53% in 2017.
The survey further estimates that, in 2017, 44% of child and adolescent Internet users accessed the network exclusively via mobile phones, which represents 11 million young people. The cellphone is the primary means of access for children and adolescents from rural areas (57%), the North (59%), and class DE (67%).
Sensitive content on the network
TIC Kids Online Brazil 2017 shows that 39% of users aged 9 to 17 – corresponding to 9.7 million children and adolescents – reported having seen forms of discrimination on the Internet in the last year, a result stable in relation to 2015 and 2016, when considering the sampling margins of error. Detection of discriminatory content online is higher among girls (46%) compared to boys (32%), and among adolescents aged 15 to 17 (54%) compared to children aged 9 to 10 (13%). The main types of discrimination identified include color or race (26%), physical appearance (16%), and sexual preferences (14%).
The survey also revealed that young Internet users aged 11 to 17 are exposed to content related to actions on physical appearance, such as ways to lose weight (19%). Girls detect this content in a higher proportion (25%) than boys (12%).
Safe Internet usage
Regarding safe Internet usage, 7 in 10 connected children and adolescents used the Internet safely, according to statements from their parents or guardians – a proportion stable compared to previous editions of the survey.
The perception of online safety was higher among parents and guardians with higher education (75% among those with high school education or more) and among classes AB (72%). "The experience of parents and guardians on the Internet can be relevant to understanding the perception of online safety and risks. It is essential that public policies stimulate this debate among adults so that they are better prepared to deal with these issues with young audiences," emphasizes Barbosa.
Mediation strategies employed by parents and guardians for Internet use have shown significant growth over the latest editions of the survey. These include explaining what children can do if something online bothers or upsets them (from 37% in 2012 to 73% in 2017), teaching ways to use the Internet safely (from 56% in 2012 to 79% in 2017), and teaching how to behave in relationships with others online (from 58% in 2012 to 84% in 2017).
About the survey
In its sixth edition, the TIC Kids Online Brazil survey interviewed 3,102 children and adolescents aged between 9 and 17, as well as their parents or guardians, across the national territory. The interviews took place between November 2017 and May 2018 to understand how this audience uses the Internet and deals with the risks and opportunities that arise. TIC Kids Online Brazil is aligned with the methodological framework of the European network EU Kids Online, led by the London School of Economics.
Cetic.br provides the microdata from the 6th edition of the survey for download, as well as complete tables of proportions, totals, and respective margins of error. Access the full survey and download relevant documents at: https://cetic.br/pesquisa/kids-online/microdados. Compare the evolution of the indicators using the data visualization available at: https://data.cetic.br/cetic/explore?idPesquisa=TIC_KIDS.
About Cetic.br
The Center for Studies on Information and Communication Technologies, of NIC.br, is responsible for producing indicators and statistics on the availability and use of the Internet in Brazil, disseminating periodic analyses and information about the development of the network in the country. Cetic.br is a Regional Study Center, under the auspices of UNESCO. More information at https://www.cetic.br/.
About the Brazilian Network Information Center – NIC.br
The Brazilian Network Information Center — NIC.br (https://www.nic.br/) is a civil, private, non-profit entity that, in addition to implementing the decisions and projects of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee, also coordinates the registration of domain names — Registro.br (https://www.registro.br/), studies, responds to, and addresses security incidents in Brazil — CERT.br (https://www.cert.br/), studies and researches network and operations technologies — Ceptro.br (https://www.ceptro.br/), produces indicators on information and communication technologies — Cetic.br (https://www.cetic.br/), implements and operates Traffic Exchange Points — IX.br (https://ix.br/), enables the Brazilian community's participation in the global development of the Web and supports the formulation of public policies — Ceweb.br (https://www.ceweb.br), and hosts the W3C office in Brazil (https://www.w3c.br/).
About the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee – CGI.br
The Brazilian Internet Steering Committee is responsible for establishing strategic guidelines relating to the use and development of the Internet in Brazil, coordinating and integrating all Internet service initiatives in the country, promoting technical quality, innovation, and dissemination of services offered. Based on the principles of multistakeholderism and transparency, CGI.br represents a democratically governed Internet model, internationally praised, where all sectors of society participate equally in its decisions. One of its formulations is the 10 Principles for the Governance and Use of the Internet (https://www.cgi.br/principios). More information at https://www.cgi.br/.
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This content was automatically translated with the support of artificial intelligence.
Cetic.br and Unesco
In 2012, Cetic.br became a UNESCO Category 2 Center, the first of its kind dedicated to the development of information and knowledge societies. The Center is linked to the Communication and Information (CI) Sector, one of UNESCO’s five areas of work. It contributes to achieving the organization’s strategic objectives by strengthening its efforts to monitor the building of information and knowledge societies. Cetic.br’s scope of action includes Latin America and the Portuguese-speaking countries of Africa.
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