Kids, teens see Net as a tool to master

By A.S. Berman
Gannett News Service

Carole Song, 15, was among the recent customers at a cyber café in Garden Grove, Calif. A new study finds that young people embrace the Internet because "it allows them to explore new skills." Gannett News Service

The telephone survey, conducted in June by New York City-based market research firms Child's Play Communications and Insight Research Group, included interviews with 500 children ages 8 to 17, along with one parent in each household, says Child's Play president Stephanie Azzarone.

Rather than using technology because it is the "in" thing, the study found young people embrace the Internet and other devices because "it gives them a sense of mastery," Azzarone says. "It allows them to explore new skills."

As a result, 87 percent considered themselves good at searching for information online.

Fourteen percent said they had their own Web pages and online journals, known as weblogs or "blogs." These pages usually consisted of thoughts and feelings about day-to-day events, along with links to other Web sites.

According to the study:

• 54 percent said their Web pages let them relay personal information they wouldn't feel comfortable sharing face to face.
• 80 percent thought these pages helped others understand them better.
• 11 percent of teens had their own Web pages; only 2 percent of those ages 8 to 12 did.

Of those who created their own Web pages, 88 percent said they were proud of their abilities and 82 percent of those believed they could easily learn how to use new technologies.

Contrary to the image of the young Internet loner, 58 percent of those polled said they made new friends online; 60 percent of those described themselves as having low self-esteem.

Azzarone advises parents to "be aware of how important technology is to kids of this age. Rather than being a negative influence, it can be positive in terms of children's development. It makes kids feel good about themselves."

For 18-year-old Heather Lawver, the Internet has been a way to stretch her creative wings, allowing her to make hundreds of friends around the world in the process.

The Sterling, Va., teen went online seven years ago. Since then, she has posted photography, artwork and even the beginnings of a novel, "(In)sane," on her personal Web site (www.dprophet.com/meggers).

The Internet "gives me a forum to publish it. It gives me feedback and I can feel more confident in my ability" to write, Lawver says.

It also has given her a sphere of influence greater than most young people ever dreamed of before the Internet age.

In 2000, she launched The Daily Prophet (www.dprophet.com), an award-winning Harry Potter site.

When Warner Bros. sent cease-and-desist letters to creators of other Harry Potter sites that it accused of copyright infringement in 2000, Lawver co-founded Defense Against the Dark Arts, an online effort that organized a worldwide boycott of Potter merchandise. The subsequent publicity brought the media company's threatening letters to a halt.

The product of homeschooling, Lawver is quick to point out that her use of the Internet has put her in touch with about 250 people on a regular basis, all of different ages and ethnicities, all over the world.

"I've learned so much more than I ever could have if I'd been stuck in a classroom," she says.