The Use of The Internet Among Middle School Students: Risky Behaviors and Opportunities

The increasing opportunity to access the Internet from home has opened the way for a number of positive changes in our lives, while at the same time raising the specter of a variety of risks. This study examined middle school students’ computer and Internet usage in terms of time spent, perceived levels of proficiency, manner of home usage and risky Internet behavior. It also looked at how the gender of the students, the level of parental education, time spent online and level of the Internet proficiency affected students’ risky behavior. A significant proportion of children were found to spend long hours on the computer and to consider themselves at an intermediate or advanced level of proficiency with regard to computer and the Internet usage. Approximately half of the students surveyed connected to the Internet in their own rooms. Similarly, close to half of the students surveyed were subject to various types of parental limitations. Although scores for risky Internet behavior were not markedly high, students did exhibit certain types of risky behavior. Gender and mother’s level of education were found to correlate with risky Internet behavior. Overall, the study findings suggest that students, families and different institutions all have certain responsibilities with regard to online risks and those solutions to related problems require the collaboration of all stakeholders.