Smartphones and tablets in children's hands

January 22, 2013 / Marco D'Alessandro

Swiss children and young people are finding it increasingly easy to make their way into the Internet thanks to mobile devices. Smartphones are already part of everyday life in primary schools. And one thing is reassuring: the results of the fourth SWITCH Junior Web Barometer confirm that there is a trend towards an increasingly careful approach to disclosing personal data in the web.

For the fourth time running, the online SWITCH Junior Web Barometer study took the pulse of Switzerland's children and young people in matters of Internet consumption and social media. A total of 600 schoolchildren participated in the latest survey. This marks a new record and ensures a higher quality in the interpretation of the results.

Playing games, listening to music and chatting
Children and young people not only use the Internet on computers at home and at school but, increasingly frequently, on their personal smartphone or tablet too. These devices are a standard feature of leisure time and for maintaining contacts amongst the young generation.

In the 6 to 13-age bracket, three fifths of the children already have a smartphone or a tablet. Approximately half these children are thus in a position to look at all the pages on the Internet without being subject to parental control. Online games are highly popular in this age category (65 percent vs. 53 percent in 2011).

Of the 13 to 20 year olds, almost all have either a smartphone or a tablet. Compared with one year earlier, when chatting topped the hit list (76 percent vs. 84 percent in 2011), downloading and consuming music is more popular today (82 percent vs. 78 percent in 2011). The 13 to 20 year olds are also to be found on an increasing number of platforms, with Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp at the top of the list. Since the number of platforms visited is rising, the time that young people can devote to each of them is falling.

Children no longer disclose so much
A generally increased awareness would seem to be coming about in respect of social platforms. One sign of this is the more restrictive disclosure of personal information, especially amongst the youngest children. While, in 2011, 80 percent of the 6 to 13 year olds had published their real name in the Internet, the figure for this year had fallen to 43 percent. A total of 38 percent still publish photos, representing a drop of 18 percent compared with the previous year. Forty-three percent give their e-mail address, compared with 56 percent previously. This trend is probably due to parents showing slightly more interest in their children's activities in social networks.

About SWITCH
As a partner to the universities, SWITCH brought the Internet to Switzerland 25 years ago. Today, the non-profit organisation with 100 employees at its headquarters in Zurich develops Internet services for lecturers, researchers and students, as well as for commercial customers. SWITCH stands for security in the Internet.

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