Surfing the Web Safely: New Study Shows What Digital Skills Children Need
Children are surfing the Internet at earlier and earlier ages—but how can they protect themselves when doing so? Professor Dirk Ifenthaler and Nicolai B. Plintz, M.Sc., from the University of Mannheim have developed a competency model that describes the knowledge and skills children at the ages of eight to thirteen need in order to use the Internet safely. The results were recently published in the journal Educational Technology Research and Development.
The study was conducted as part of the European “Super Cyber Kids” project. The aim was to identify specific competencies that children at this age should learn in order to navigate digital spaces safely. There had been numerous individual studies and recommendations before but no structured overview.
Based on more than 500 suggestions, the researchers identified 257 competencies suitable for promoting child-friendly media literacy and safety. These skills include, for example, protecting one’s own data, identifying unwanted messages, or the correct behavior in the event of technical issues.