First-ever report on the use of ICT by young people in Luxembourg
In order to be able to follow developments in the use of ICT and related risks, this annual report, entitled “BEE SECURE Radar”, documents the observations made by BEE SECURE during its activities during the 2020-2021 school year. .
It is also based on the results of adapted surveys of parents on the use of ICT by their children, and of young people (17-30 years old) on their own use of ICT. The questions covered both the type and duration of use of digital devices and the assessment and experience of risks and hazards. These surveys indicate certain trends for three age groups.
“This report shows us once again how important it is to continue to inform and educate adults and young people about the risks of too much screen time”, underlines Claude Meisch.
More than three hours a day on smartphone
Nearly 80% of children present their own smartphone by the age of 12, the typical age at the end of primary school and the start of secondary education. More than 40% of children received their first smartphone before this age. The 17 to 30 year olds all complete one.
The vast majority of 3 to 11 year olds spend less than an hour a day on weekdays on their smartphone (76%) or tablet (65%). 45% of parents aged 12 to 16 indicate that their child spends more than 3 hours a day on their smartphone on weekdays, while this is the case for 59% on weekends. Among 17 to 30 year olds, no less than 52% say they spend more than three hours a day on their smartphone on weekdays, while they are 69% on weekends.
Screen time and fake news at the top of the risks
The evaluation of the results of the two surveys expected by the SNJ and the analysis of the topics covered by the requests for information and advice sent to the BEE SECURE Helpline, indicating that the main risks associated with the use of ICT, point of view of the target groups, are: screen time/excessive use, misinformation (fake news), hateful or violent content, cyberbullying, cybercrime (e-crime), content not suitable for the age, influence of online models as well as data protection/online privacy risks.
Parents denounce that children aged 3 to 16 are mainly at risk of “spending too much time online” – a risk that does not appear in the dangers most frequently cited by young people aged 17 to 30 . They describe disinformation and fake news or “fake news” as the risk to which they are most exposed.
The report concludes on the importance of knowing the trends in the use of ICTs by children and adolescents. This knowledge helps to better assess and understand the reality in Luxembourg. Therefore, surveys and analyzes will be developed and refined in the future.
This report, which will now be published annually, aims to inform all those who are committed together to safer use of the Internet by children and young people and to help guide their actions.
Communicated by the National Youth Service (SNJ)