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One in five Irish teens have accessed content that disturbed them — survey

The new study also reveals that many Irish teenagers are keeping their parents in the dark regarding their online activity.

Update 11.04am

A FIFTH OF of Irish teenagers have accessed inappropriate content online that disturbed them, according to a new study by online security giant McAfee.

The ‘Digital Disconnect’ survey also reveals an imbalance between the activity children are engaged in online, and what their parents believe they are doing.

The study was launched today as McAfee announced details of a new online safety for kids programme which it says will reach 10,000 kids in Ireland next year.

Transition Year children will be able to become youth ambassadors to teach online safety to children in local primary and secondary schools. A pilot programme in Cork has already been taught at more than 30 schools and community centres, McAfee says.

Speaking at the launch today, Taoiseach Enda Kenny pointed out that “every second is in the cloud and is retrievable”.

Children’s Minister Frances Fitzgerald said that it is important that young people are aware “just how accessible” everything they put online is.

One in four parents believe their teen tells them everything they do on the internet — but the research discovered a majority of teens are taking a steps to hide their behaviour. Over half (53 per cent) admitted to wiping their browser history, while 49 per cent viewed content away from home to keep their behaviour hidden.

The survey also found that:

  • More than one in 10 (11 per cent) of Irish teenagers said they had met up with someone they met online
  • Despite 57 per cent of parents trusting their child not to access inappropriate content online, 23 per cent of teens admitted intentionally searching for pornography, 26 per cent have looked up sexual topics online and 56 per cent have viewed a video they know their parents wouldn’t approve of.
  • A third of teens (33 per cent) have looked up answers to tests/assignments online.
  • Just over a third (34 per cent) have looked up simulated violence online.
  • One in 10 teens admit having posted revealing pictures of themselves online.
  • 12 per cent admit posting a comment containing foul language online, with the same amount regretting it later.
  • 16 per cent admitted to getting into trouble at home or at school as a result of being on a social network
  • Over half (55 per cent) have visited websites they know their parents wouldn’t approve of

The study also revealed that most Irish parents are aware of the dangers associated with data and identity theft, and more than 70 per cent are concerned about their teens posting their home address online, as well as the sharing of other details like mobile phone numbers.

McAfee Ireland’s Paul Walsh described the statistic that 11 per cent of children surveyed have met up with people they interacted with online as “very disturbing”.

84 per cent of adults said they had had a conversation with their teenage child about online safety, while over a third have placed parental controls on household internet devices.

200 teenagers and 200 parents of teenagers were interviewed as part of the survey throughout October.

Read: Irish girl (17) ‘forced into stripping on Skype’ by US computer hacker

Read: Facebook considers allowing access to children under 13

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33 Comments
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    Mute James Kiernan
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    Nov 6th 2013, 9:37 AM

    Ok so half said they visited a website their parents wouldn’t approve? Methinks the other half were lying in the survey.

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    Mute bob®
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    Nov 6th 2013, 9:01 AM

    4 in every 5 surveys are 27% more likely to spout 6% more bollox on a Wednesday!

    153
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    Mute Little Jim
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    Nov 6th 2013, 9:00 AM

    I remember being disturbed by some magazines I inherited many moons ago.
    No one surveyed me though.

    119
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    Mute Little Jim
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    Nov 6th 2013, 10:26 AM

    Didn’t go blind either.

    107
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    Mute John O'Neill
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    Nov 6th 2013, 5:14 PM

    They must have strayed on to the government website…

    12
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    Mute Cpm
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    Nov 6th 2013, 9:05 AM

    Poor flowers. Let’s delete the internet

    87
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    Mute Shanners
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    Nov 6th 2013, 8:54 AM

    The other 4/5 must be sociopaths..

    48
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    Mute Owen Brady
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    Nov 6th 2013, 12:19 PM

    I clear my history every day , one of my parishioners showed me how to do it.

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    Mute WayneWexford
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    Nov 6th 2013, 9:21 AM

    Must have been reading the comments section on the Journal.

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    Mute Maria
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    Nov 6th 2013, 9:44 AM

    One in ten teens posted a revealing photo of themselves online? That’s quite shocking.

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    Mute Nick Hill
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    Nov 6th 2013, 11:21 AM

    Ah that momentous first time in your youth when you venture too far on the internet. “What’s that lady doing with that model rocket”.

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    Mute Pete Foley
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    Nov 6th 2013, 9:15 AM

    Stop typing Enda Kenny in to google ;)

    32
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    Mute harsh but fair
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    Nov 6th 2013, 11:22 AM

    I once saw a dog and toaster and pair of underpants all spooning and the dog was eating a tin of sardines and the toaster hasn’t a clue what was goin on and the underpants was laughing at them and the sardines jumped up and hit toaster and it jumped up and electrocuted the dog. I liked that dog too.

    27
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    Mute Redcaff
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    Nov 6th 2013, 11:30 AM

    And the dish ran away with the spoon!

    12
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    Mute i want to be frank !
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    Nov 6th 2013, 12:27 PM

    Was there marmite on the gusset ?

    7
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    Mute James Mckernan
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    Nov 6th 2013, 12:05 PM

    I wonder have many of them reached that point at 3am in the morning when they’re looking up advanced nuclear physics on wiki wondering what they’re doing in life, that’s quite disturbing

    24
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    Mute hippiestill
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    Nov 6th 2013, 10:26 AM

    Kid looks terrified – must be watching ‘Leader’s Questions’.

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    Mute Jer Lonergen
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    Nov 6th 2013, 9:35 AM

    Not very difficult to do, if you’ve got use of at least one finger.

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    Mute Liam Byrne
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    Nov 6th 2013, 11:31 AM

    4/5 Irish teens take part in content that is disturbing.

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    Mute Ehud Olmert
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    Nov 6th 2013, 11:24 AM

    Some of the ignorance on the journal’s comments section leaves me disturbed.

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    Mute Michael Jardine
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    Nov 6th 2013, 1:37 PM

    A disturbed fascist… Never…

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    Mute Chris lynch
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    Nov 6th 2013, 12:00 PM

    Perfect survey to sell their new product to people.

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    Mute Mark Kirwan
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    Nov 6th 2013, 12:41 PM

    Frankly, I’m surprised the headline percentages listed above are so low, though there are some real laughs to be had at some of this stuff. I’ll limit myself to one:

    “A third of teens (33 per cent) have looked up answers to tests/assignments online.”

    Isn’t this what we call “self-directed learning”? Is it really so bad that children are deciding to learn online at home? The concerning thing should be that the percentage isn’t higher, but given the way the survey seems to have been loaded in the attempt to justify moral panic, I’m sure some respondents chose to give the “right” answer, ie, no, they have never looked up anything on the internet to “answer tests/assignments”. Even when the internet is doing “good”, it is “bad”.

    One of the findings sponsored by McAfee™ did prompt an idea though:

    “Over half (55 per cent) have visited websites they know their parents wouldn’t approve of.”

    Given the kind of scare-mongering generally around the internet in the Irish media, on which this kind of survey sponsored by McAfee™ seeks to cash in, I get the impression a large percentage of Irish parents wouldn’t approve of their kid opening google’s homepage, so I’m not sure I could draw too many conclusions from this “stat”. However, this does make me ask a question about parents and their attitudes and ideas regarding the internet in general and their children’s usage of it in particular. Rather than surveying teenagers and finding that Shock! Horror! OMFG! 12% of them have used a rude word online, how about surveying parents about the internet?

    Of course such a survey wouldn’t present the same opportunity to sell crap software to misinformed parents through fear, so it appeals less to McAfee™ than the scare-mongering survey of teenagers approach. Oh well.

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    Mute Andrew Weir
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    Nov 6th 2013, 3:39 PM

    5/5 Irish parents with teenagers find them very disturbing.

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    Mute Oscar Brophy
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    Nov 6th 2013, 8:55 AM

    C’est l’internet.

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    Mute Phil Lynch
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    Nov 6th 2013, 8:26 PM

    Is anyone else shocked at how low these figures are?

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    Mute Fiachra Maolmordha Ó Raghallaigh
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    Nov 6th 2013, 2:31 PM

    “Just over a third (34 per cent) have looked up simulated violence online.”

    Ah here ma, that’s just the trailer to the latest Hobbit movie!

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    Mute i want to be frank !
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    Nov 6th 2013, 11:56 AM

    Poor little sugar mice well they won’t go back to them sites again in a hurry !

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    Mute Mac Mock
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    Nov 6th 2013, 11:21 AM

    That’s disturbing

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    Mute tankedfrank
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    Nov 6th 2013, 2:15 PM

    Most likely watched the recent revelations about Gerry Adams

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    Mute Phil Lynch
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    Nov 6th 2013, 8:26 PM

    Is anyone else shocked at how low these figures are?

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    Mute Ben Buggle
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    Nov 7th 2013, 12:24 AM

    Those statistics are so incredibly wrong…wow

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    Mute Ciaran MacAoidh
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    Jan 9th 2014, 8:43 PM

    Taoiseach Enda Kenny pointed out that “every second is in the cloud and is retrievable” and went on to add “Though I’ve no bleedin’ clue what that means”.

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