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About this guide
The internet, mobiles and other new technologies are enhancing daily life for many families.
As parents, you’ll know they’re saving us time and money, helping us build communities, encouraging creativity and self-expression, enabling a better work/life balance, broadening our horizons and much more.
Technological innovation continues apace. Computers and mobiles are getting smaller and more powerful; social media offers exciting new ways to communicate and express ourselves; businesses, political parties, schools and other organisations are increasingly turning to new technologies to engage people.
Did you know?
- More than half of UK homes already have a broadband connection and the Government proposes that every home will have broadband by 2012 (Source: Ofcom Communications Market Report)
- Most adults in the UK have access to a mobile and 52 per cent of nine year olds in the UK have a mobile, rising to 95 per cent of 15 year olds (Sources: Ofcom Social Networking Report and Ofcom Children’s Media Literacy Report)
- Almost one in five homes in the UK use Sky+ so they can choose when to watch their favourite TV programmes (Source: BSkyB)
- Despite high street retailers having the worst Christmas in years in 2008, online sales in the UK grew by 30 per cent year-on-year (Source: British Retail Consortium)
This video will give you some interesting insight into the impact digital media is having across the world.
So, how does your family’s digital world look and how are you keeping up with new technologies?
Your digital world
You might be emailing and texting friends and family, comparing prices online before you book a holiday or renew your car insurance, or uploading and sharing photos over the Web.
Perhaps you’re watching videos on your mobile, selling stuff you no longer want on auction sites, using your games console to keep fit or making the most of your digital TV recorder to schedule your family’s viewing time to suit you.
Did you know?
Global sales of Nintendo Wii passed 50 million in March 2009, making it the fastest selling games console ever
You could be part of a social network of professional contacts (on a website like LinkedIn) or friends (on Facebook or Twitter), an avid music fan with 1000s of tracks on your MP3, or run your own business from home.
If you’re a single parent, you might be using one of the 1000s of dating sites available on the Web.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We’re sure you’re using new technologies to manage and enhance your home and work life in many other ways.
Your children’s digital world
At the same time, your children and teenagers are embracing the digital world. For anyone under the age of 15, the internet has always been there – a fact of life, not a “new” technology.
At school, interactive whiteboards and computers are replacing blackboards, Google Earth might be used to explore oceans in 3D in a geography lesson, and webcams can be used to instantly assess students’ techniques during PE classes.
Some schools use Web collaboration tools for group projects and some even offer online support out-of-hours so that students can ask teachers questions about their homework.
Did you know?
A DCSF review of England’s primary school curriculum in 2009 proposed that ICT joins English and Maths as the centre piece of the new curriculum
At home, your kids might be playing games on the internet or a console, chatting on social networking sites like Bebo, Facebook or MySpace, and making videos on their mobiles that they publish on the Web on sites like YouTube.
Maybe they download music and know the digital TV schedule off by heart or, if they’re teenagers, they might have their own blog or post regular updates about their life on Twitter.
In fact, research by Ofcom shows that 12-15 year olds in the UK have an average of six media devices in their bedroom and they often move seamlessly between them. You might watch in amazement as they text, surf, play games, watch TV (and maybe even eat!) at the same time.
They’re having fun, learning and socialising and it’s second nature to them.
Parenting in the 21st century
Online has become an extension of the offline world for many people and you no doubt want to encourage your kids to make the most of new technologies. It’s crucial that they develop IT skills and social skills that benefit their personal lives, education and, eventually, work.
But you also recognise that new technologies bring new challenges and risks, so it’s vital that you’re engaged with your child’s digital world as well as their real world.
Just as you show an interest in their hobbies, friends and what’s happening at school, you need to understand what they do on the internet, their mobile and other devices. And you need to get involved. That way, you can help them to use new technologies in a positive and responsible manner and work together to develop strategies for managing their digital spaces.
Did you know?
According to a 2009 survey by CBBC Newsround, by age 10, children think that they know more about the internet than mum, but dad is not outclassed until they reach secondary school
We’re here to help. We’ve spoken to lots of parents about their families and the digital world and we know that it’s fun but it’s also complicated. Even if you’re a fan of technology, your kids might be using it in very different ways to you.
Maybe you want some advice about what kind of mobile to buy for your son or daughter or some guidance on dealing with cyberbullying. Perhaps some insight into the dos and don’ts of downloading music or taking part in multi-player online gaming would be useful to your family.
On this website, we explain the main technologies that children and young people in the UK are using and some of the great things they’re doing with them (in the Get to grips section).
We also outline some of the potential challenges and risks they might face and offer guidance on how you can help your kids to avoid them (in the Get involved section).
Plus, we’ll give you links to other useful websites if you’d like further information or support and, if you’ve only got a few minutes to spare, we’ve listed six key action points in our Essentials section.
Our aim? To help you get to grips with your child’s digital world and get more involved in it so that you can all stay in control.
How old are your kids?
What you need to know to get started
- 5-7 years old
Technology is part of your child's life before they start primary school. They're probably using the computer, the internet and interactive TV for fun - watching programmes on the CBeebies channel and website or taking part in the Club Penguin chat rooms...but they still need adult guidance and supervision.
- 8-11 years old
If you have 8-11 year old children, your house is probably full of technology - PlayStation, Nintendo, iPod...the list goes on. In fact, research shows that 8-11 year olds in the UK have an average of four media devices in their bedroom.
This is a crucial age for young people to embrace new technologies and develop their ICT skills both at home and at school...and it's a crucial time for you to take control when they start exploring the digital world as well as the real world.
- 12-14 years old
They're at secondary school and growing up fast. It's a time of change and their digital world might seem as important as the real world to them. They might spend their evenings on Bebo, Facebook or MySpace ; watching videos on YouTube and uploading their own for others to watch; or doing research for their homework.
You want to encourage their technology and social skills, of course, so it's useful to understand what they're doing with technology and to get involved with it.
- 15+ years old
Once your children are teenagers, it might be tempting to think that they're tech-savvy and dealing with everything the virtual world can throw at them. You probably watch in awe as they switch from chatting with friends on Facebook to updating their Twitter profile; playing against someone on the other side of the world on their games console to downloading music on their mobile.
It's all great fun but, as they get older, the things you need to help them to cope with in their digital world are ever more challenging. Far from leaving them to it, you really need to keep communicating with them.
How much do you know?
Twitter has73 million users worldwide
Take our test to give you an idea about how well you understand new technologies. It’s quick and easy and will help you decide which parts of the website to visit.
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