Communication overload?
With the advent of mobile phones, PDAs, iphones and the like, it seems these days that we are connected to the rest of the world 24/7. For the first time, there is now more than one mobile service for every Australian, with 21.26 million mobile phone services in operation at 30 June 2007, a 7.6 per cent increase from 19.76 million the year before, according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
Recent overseas surveys in Asia for example reveal that, when asked which digital device they could not live without, 60 percent overall, said that they could not live without a mobile phone. In Hong Kong this figure rose to 76 percent and in the rest of the world and Australia similar statistics have been recorded.
For young people (Generation Y, X and Z), it seems that this connectivity is a fact of life and an indispensable way to stay in touch with family and friends. Text messaging, instant messaging and email, in some respects, has overtaken ‘face to face’ communication for young people and has become the preferred means of communication. A recent survey conducted by Habbo of 58,480 teenagers aged 12 to 18 across 31 countries found that:
88% of teenagers regularly communicate via SMS
76% of teenagers use the internet to Instant Message friends; though 72% hold active email accounts, email is generally reserved by teenagers more for non-personal needs such as school or work, or correspondence with family members
71% of teenagers use their mobiles as a portable mp3 player, up from 38% in the previous 2006 survey
70% of teenagers take photos and videos, up from 11% in the 2006
64% of teenagers in the survey play games, up from 51% in 2006
These statistics confirm mobile phones are at the epicentre of changing teenager habits involving digital media. Now more than ever it is necessary for parents to become familiar with this global phenomenon in the use of mobile phones and to set some ground rules about the appropriate use of mobile phones, email and content in student’s own websites such as Facebook and MySpace, which have now become the most popular global websites for young people.
I would encourage all parents to ask their children to show them any site that they may have created. Most teenagers creating their own MySpace or Facebook, for example, need guidance about what is appropriate and inappropriate content. Parents should be aware that if a student’s site is found to contain highly inappropriate material, it will become an issue for the School, if in fact it brings the School’s good name and that of our students into disrepute.
ARGOS Police officers frequently talk to students across Queensland about how easy it is for ‘predators’ to find out personal information about teenagers using internet ‘chat rooms’. I recommend that all parents visit the ARGOS website below to gain appropriate knowledge and understanding of how to best protect your children against such dangers.
http://www.police.qld.gov.au/programs/personalSafety/childProtection/default.htm
Digital etiquette is evolving, but unfortunately, more slowly than the new technology is being created. It is imperative that all parents take the time to talk to their children about appropriate language, comments and messaging and use of mobile phones, email and other websites.
There is increasing concern over cyber-bullying and while we at Caloundra City School will continue to educate students about inappropriate behaviours and actions, in this rapidly changing digital age, it is important that we work in partnership with our families to ensure that the same values we teach at School are shared at home.
Some students are using mobile phones very late at night and I would suggest to parents that mobile phones (and computers too) be used and left in the family room, rather than in your child’s bedroom. Students are reporting that they are receiving text messages very late at night or early in the morning, which is highly invasive and unacceptable behaviour.
Setting sensible rules at home helps your child learn the most appropriate way of using the latest technology. As all parents will be aware, we have changed our policy on mobile phones at school. Students are now required to hand in their mobile phones during the school day, in order to minimize potential problems with messaging, texting, inappropriate access to websites, cyberbullying and inappropriate phone calls.
Sources:
http://www.dilanchian.com.au/ip/teenage-mobile-phone-use-statistics-2.html
http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/newslog/PermaLink,guid,f4cf0175-8fa5-4853-b642-8f1efcddb2eb.aspx
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