Tweens get savvy with gadgets

Tweens are more technologically savvy and count the internet as a source of happiness, research shows. Today's six- to 12-year-olds are laden with gadgets their older siblings could only have dreamed about – two-thirds of them own mobile phones and iPods.

Almost half of the 1200 children who completed the Tween Tracker survey have Facebook profiles, despite being under the site's minimum age of 13.

Two-thirds reported surfing the web without supervision.

Social media expert Laurel Papworth describes Facebook as the online equivalent of a "keep out, I mean it!" sign on the bedroom door, allowing kids to shut parents out while sharing with friends – an enticing prospect at an age when they are developing their own identities.

Parents failed to "make good arguments why one web page is better than another" and why internet use needed to be monitored.

"Managing how they connect is a better option than saying 'don't connect at all'," she said.

She recommended moving the computer out of the bedroom and into the loungeroom where parents could keep an eye on online activity.

More than a virtual playground, the internet is also a vast information resource, exposing children to almost limitless data.

Unsurprisingly, the Tween Tracker study – commissioned by Pacific Magazines – found the age group had a lot on its mind. The environment, disease, poverty and terrorism were common concerns.

"Uncle Google responds to every request for information overheard on TV and at the adult dinner table," Ms Papworth said.

This was a positive development as it allowed children to form more balanced views.

"These kids seem less depressed," she said. "Perhaps rather than being preached at how bad the world is, they see more people changing it . . . a chorus of voices speaking out, rather than just the bad news in passive mode."

Despite the high importance of socialising online, most tweens still prefer to read books and magazines than surf the web.

Three tweens who spoke to The Sun-Herald said they all used technology for fun.

Lola Spence, 7, and Sinead Leahy, 8, said they used it every day and spent up to two hours a day playing computer games and using social networking sites like Habbo.

They also believe they have more gadgets than their older siblings did at the same age. Of her 12-year-old sister, Lola said: "Georgia wouldn't have had an iPod, DS [game console], computer and TV as well."

But Sofia Sabados, 7, defied the trend. She spends only 15 minutes at a time on her mother's laptop and prefers outdoor play over computer games. She has a DS console but stopped using it after a month when the novelty wore off.

"We bought it for her because of peer pressure", her mother, Zoe, said. "After the initial excitement wore off, there was no interest."

Sofia likes reading "hard, challenging books" and learning about science".

None of the three girls is on Facebook.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/technology/tweens-get-savvy-with-gadgets-20100828-13x1e.html