Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Social Networking Among Irish 9-16 Year Olds, Brian O'Neill, Thuy Dinh

Reports

Social networking is a hugely popular and fast-growing online activity for young people in Ireland. In the EU Kids Online survey, while SNS use was not the most frequently mentioned online activity (‘watching video clips’ and ‘playing computer games’ were the most often cited items), it features across all age groups, and particularly so for teenagers.

Digital Literacy, Digital Opportunities, Brian O'Neill, Thuy Dinh

Other resources

Summary

• Online activities for 9-16 year olds in Ireland are substantially below European norms leaving many opportunities unexplored.

• 57% of young people don’t go beyond the second step of a ‘ladder of opportunities’.

• Cluster analysis shows that ‘a low use, low risk’ pattern to be the most prominent followed by a “moderate-use, entertainment and communication- oriented” use of the internet.

• Young people’s digital skills are closer to the European average though less than half express confidence in their own skills.

• Younger children, in particular, are lacking in many basic safety skills.