Most citizens of the European Union believe that data transmission over the Internet is not sufficiently secure. They are increasingly using technology to protect their privacy online, a new poll of the EC reveals. The trend signifies a challenge to the current business practices of IT companies which rely on private data to offer their services.
Many young people are effectively being "raised online" spending in excess of 20 hours a week using sites such as Bebo, Myspace, Facebook and YouTube, according to new research published by the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr). This is over three times higher than previous official estimates.
Ofcom has been observing the rapid growth of social networking over the last two to three years. The survey reveals that children swarm to social networking sites. This shows the entry of social networking into mainstream culture and its integration into the daily lives of especially young people. Furthermore, there has been substantial media coverage of the growth of social networking, its potential positive outcomes and concerns about the way that some people are using it. The research focused on the social and communications aspects of social networking sites.
The Pew Internet & American Life Project released a new study. It revealed that children and young people write a lot, but they do not think of their emails, instant and text messages as writing. This disconnection matters because young people believe good writing is an essential skill for success and that more writing instruction at school would help them.
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