Internet-illiterate parents hold back kids

Parents that lack internet skills could be damaging their children's education and job prospects - leaving them on the wrong side of the growing digital divide.

According to research by academics at the London School of Economics, many parents lack the skills to guide their children's internet use.

The survey of 1,511 young people, aged nine to 19, and 906 parents also warns of a group of 'disengaged youth' that is least likely to engage with the internet, and least likely to have net access at home.

Sonia Livingstone, Professor of Social Psychology based in LSE's media and communications department, said: "Now that many young people rely on the internet for information, homework help and careers guidance, the more it matters that some of them are getting left behind. Not knowing how to best use the internet may have a negative impact on their education and employment opportunities."

Children who are daily and weekly users have parents who also use the internet more often and are more expert, the survey found. These web-savvy children tend to be middle-class teenagers, and those with home access.

One way to improve parents' internet awareness is to ensure that literacy initiatives are also targeted at parents.

"Fearful parents may take too rigorous an approach to restricting online access completely and thereby leave their children less aware of online risks, such as chat room dangers, when they do use the internet," the report added.

Professor Livingstone said: "Of the parents we surveyed, 18 per cent - nearly a fifth - said they don't know how to help their children use the internet safely. Many recognised their own responsibility: 67 per cent wanted more and better advice for parents, but 75 per cent also wanted more and better teaching guidance in schools."

Meanwhile online content for the internet-savvy continues to grow, with increasing availability of broadband the main driver.

Western European revenues for consumer online content will nearly double in 2005, reaching more than €3bn and up to €16bn in 2008, according to figures from EITO.

More than a third of the present consumer online content market consists of online video, which will pass the €1bn mark this year.