Survey highlights computer, Internet, and mobile phone use by Brazilian children

Indicators reveal that computers and mobile phones are present in the daily activities of Brazilian children aged 5 to 9

The Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br) announces the results of the 1st Survey on the Use of Information and Communication Technologies by Children in Brazil — TIC Children. Conducted by the Center for Studies on Information and Communication Technologies (CETIC.br), responsible for producing indicators and statistics for NIC.br, TIC Children evaluated the ownership and use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) among children aged 5 to 9 across Brazil.

According to the survey data, despite a significant proportion of Brazilian children using computers, Internet access is still low. The survey revealed that 57% of children have used a computer and only 28% reported having used the Internet. In higher income brackets, this difference is proportionally smaller, suggesting that income partially explains this phenomenon.

Computer skills mainly originate in schools. Most children (20%) mentioned having learned to use the technology at educational institutions. Meanwhile, parents play a secondary role in this process: they were mentioned by 16% of children who use computers.

Mobile phone use surpasses computer use and is one of the most present technologies in the daily lives of children aged 5 to 9: 65% have used a device, and 14% own one. The mobile phone is primarily used for gaming (88%), followed by using the device as a communication tool: 64% stated they have called someone. Listening to music (60%) is also an important activity for children using mobile phones.

Access location
Another important aspect revealed by the survey was the secondary role schools play in Internet access. While 27% of children stated they have used the Internet at school, only 14% cited it as the place where they use it most often. Even Internet cafes recorded a more significant result in this indicator (17%). The results highlight the importance of home use: 49% declared using the Internet at home, and 46% stated that home is the place where they use it most.

“School is the main place for acquiring computer and Internet skills; however, Internet use in this location is still relatively low. Besides teaching informatics to children, it's necessary to encourage teachers and educational coordinators to incorporate ICTs into pedagogical processes,” analyzes Alexandre Barbosa, manager of CETIC.br.

Activities conducted
Computers are present in children's daily activities: 80% of children use computers for drawing, 64% use them for writing texts, and 60% use them for listening to music.

On the Internet, recreational activities were most cited by children. According to interviews, 97% of children use the network to play games. Among other activities investigated, 55% of children said they use the Internet for playing on websites that feature cartoons similar to those they watch on TV.

In terms of skills developed in computer use, girls are the majority when it comes to drawing and writing. While 76% of boys drew on the computer, among girls this proportion increases to 84%. At the same time, 58% of boys said they had used the computer to write, while in the universe of girls this skill is more common among 70% of the respondents.

Regional differences
TIC Children also showed a large variation in Internet use according to the region of Brazil, household income, and user's age. In the North and Northeast, for example, only 12% and 13% of children used the Internet in the last three months, respectively, a figure much lower than the 43% presented in the Center-West. The South and Southeast recorded 40% and 38% respectively.
The survey TIC Children – 2009 is available at https://www.cetic.br/

About the Center for Studies on Information and Communication Technologies (CETIC.br)
The Center for Studies on Information and Communication Technologies (CETIC.br) is responsible for producing indicators and statistics on the availability and use of the Internet in Brazil, disseminating periodic analyses and information on the development of the network in the country. 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 non-profit civil entity that implements the decisions and projects of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee. Permanent activities of NIC.br include coordinating domain name registration — Registro.br (https://www.registro.br/), studying, responding to, and handling security incidents in Brazil - CERT.br (https://www.cert.br/), studying and researching network technologies and operations — CEPTRO.br (https://www.ceptro.br), producing indicators on information and communication technologies — CETIC.br (https://www.cetic.br), and hosting the W3C office in Brazil (https://www.w3c.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 the services offered.

For more information, visit: https://www.s2publicom.com.br or https://www.cgi.br.

Press Contacts: S2 Integrated Communication
https://www.s2.com.br
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Everton Schultz - everton.schultz@s2.com.br
Juliana Gilio - juliana.gilio@s2.com.br

Communications Office - NIC.br
Caroline D’Avo - Communications Advisor - caroline@nic.br
Everton Teles Rodrigues - Communications Assistant - everton@nic.br
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/NICbr/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/comuNICbr/

 

This content was automatically translated with the support of artificial intelligence.