New study sheds light on what parents fear online

A new study published in the journal Policy & Internet reveals that most parents fear for their kids’ safety online, but the intensity of specific fears may be shaped by their racial and ethnic backgrounds. Most all parents are concerned about online predators, pornography, violent content, and bullying, but in varying degrees.

Co-author of the study Eszeter Hargitta says “when you take a close look at demographic backgrounds of parents, concerns are not uniform across population groups.” Hargitta argues that public policy regarding kids’ safety and privacy online is shaped by the belief that all parents’ fears are the same. The study implies that this is simply not true.

Hargitta and co-author danah boyd surveyed over 1,000 families with children ages 10-14 across the United States during the summer of 2011. Highlights from the study include the following insights:

White parents are least fearful for their kids’ safety online, whereas Asian and Hispanic Americans were most fearful. Black parents were more concerned than white parents about online predators and pornography. The more educated the family, the less likely they were to be concerned about online dangers. Gender and religion had no significant effect on parents’ concerns. You can read more about the study on Slateor access the complete findings from Wiley Online Library.

#### References

Minority Parents Fear for Kids Online http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131121155035.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29

How Politics, Race, and Socioeconomic Status Affect Parents’ Fears About Tech http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/21/parents-technology-fears-study_n_4319583.html?utm_hp_ref=parents-families-tech