New study shows parents clueless, kids just as bad

A new study out of Israel on parent perceptions of their kids' online activities shows a real need for education at both the parental and child levels.

A new Tel Aviv University research study has found that, despite what parents might believe, there is an enormous gap between what they think their children are doing online and what is really happening.

While many parents believe that their children are both safe and honest about what they do online, this study of Jewish and Arab kids demonstrated that the youngsters are relatively savvy in terms of covering their tracks.

These children were also engaging in some fairly risky behaviors without their parents' knowledge:

The same children were also asked if they had been exposed to pornography while surfing, or if they had made face-to-face contact with strangers that they had met online. Thirty-six percent from the high school group admitted to meeting with a stranger they had met online. Nearly 40% of these children admitted to speaking with strangers regularly (within the past week).

Fewer than 9 percent of the parents knew that their children had been meeting with strangers, engaging in what could be viewed as very risky behavior.

Ultimately, this study highlights a lot of room for both parent and student education about online media, safety, and technology.