LOS ANGELES – A recent survey by the University of Southern California (USC) reveals that 21 percent of adults in the United States believe their children are spending too much time surfing the Web, up from 11 percent in 2000.
Most of the survey respondents, however, say their children’s grades have not been affected by their time on the Internet, despite the fact that 80 percent of children surveyed believe the Internet is an important academic resource.
The study, which will not be released until Dec. 6, also reveals that 47 percent of parents withhold access to the Internet as a way to punish their children. However, at 57 percent, more parents prefer to withhold television rather than the Internet to punish their children. As well, 49 percent are concerned about their children spending excessive amounts of time watching television as opposed to the 21 percent of parents concerned about too much online activity.
