Personal uses of internet and perceptions of parental mediation: a research with children 10 and 11 years old

Abstract

The exploratory study here presented investigates the relation between children and Internet considered into the domestic context. Through a closed format questionnaire, self-completed by 272 Italian tweens aged 10 and 11 years, the research inquires practical uses of Internet, meanings given to personal practices and perceptions about parental mediation activities. The data analyses show different levels of Internet usage, the most often experienced functions, some prevailing dimensions of meaning related to use of Internet and perceptions of a partial parental mediation, and some differences between the two age groups regarding the dimensions of meaning and the perceptions of parental intervention.