The 12 to 17 age group face far greater restrictions than do young adults aged 18 to 24. The percentage of teenagers under 17 who report some form of limitation on what they can see jumps to 52 percent, compared to 18 percent for 18 to 24-year olds. Americans between the ages 12 and 24 with home Internet access said that their online activities are limited by filtering software. Nearly 30 percent of American youth also report some form of parental monitoring or restrictions over the sites they visit, compared with only 8 percent of youth in Spain and 10 percent in Sweden. Software and site censorship isn't the main area of concern for some parents.
Worries also center around the amount of time spent by their kids online.
This probably explains why American youth are less likely than youth of most other countries to be hindered in terms of time allowed online. As much as Internet access may be widespread, different cultures will always prioritize different values and worry about different things. As long as fee structures remain inconsistent around the world, the dissimilarities between European and American online parenting styles will continue. Copyright 2001 INT Media Group, Incorporated All Rights Reserved.