Teens and Technology - Pew Internet & American Life Project

Part 2. Conditions of Internet Use
about the information they give out about themselves online, and many parents are using
a variety of methods to protect their children from potential dangers including using
filters and placing their computer in a public space.
In an attempt to address some of those concerns, many families have tried a variety of
strategies. For instance, almost three-quarters of teenagers who go online from home do
so from a computer that is located in an open family area such as a living room or den.
Placing a computer in a public space in the home allows other family members to
casually and easily observe each others’ internet use and better monitor or regulate the
online habits of the household. About one-quarter say that the computer that connects
them to the web is in a private area such as a bedroom. This proportion is practically
identical to our December 2000 survey, which showed that 70% of online teenagers said
their internet-connected computer was in an open family area compared to 27% who said
their computer was in a private space.
The percentages of online
teenagers with an internetconnected
computer in a public
location within the house do not
vary much by age or sex of the
teen.
Teenagers with at least one parent
who is not an internet user are also
more likely to have a computer in
a private space. Forty percent of
teens with a parent who does not
go online say their computer is in
a private location compared to one
Home Computer Location and
Computer Sharing
Of teens who connect to the web from home, the
percentage that falls into each category (N=868)
Home
Computer
Location
Private Area
Open Family
Area
Computer Sharing
quarter of teens with online parents. Families with wireless internet access are also more
likely to have a family computer located in a private space.
The percentage of online teenagers who report that other members of their family use the
same internet-connected computer is relatively unchanged from when we asked an
identical question in December 2000. In our current survey, 90% of teenagers who go
online say that other family members also use the connected computer compared to only
10% who said they were the only person to use the computer.
Yes
No
18% 8%
72 1
Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project October-
November 2004 survey. N=868 12-17 year-olds. Margin of
error is ± 4 percentage points at 95% confidence level.
Families with dial-up access are only slightly more likely to report computer sharing,
with 93% of dial-up households sharing compared to 87% of families with broadband.
Families with a parent who reports having five years or fewer of internet experience are
more likely to report computer sharing than families where the parent has been online for
six years or more. The percentages of families with a shared computer do not vary across
household socioeconomic status, age of children, or whether or not a parent uses the
internet.
Teens and Technology - 7 - Pew Internet & American Life Project