Half of Oz parents say social networking distracting kids from studies

NEW DELHI - A latest cyber study has found that more than half of Australian parents with children using online social networking services like Facebook and Twitter said the services are distracting them from their studies.

According to the latest Cyber-safety Research Report commissioned by Telstra Australian children using social networking services are getting distracted from their studies.

The survey of parents with children aged 10 to 17 years was conducted by Newspoll and it has been found that the problem is more common with teenagers aged between 14 and 17 years, with 65 percent of parents reporting frequent social networking or occasionally distracting their children from their homework.

Cyber-safety expert doctor Martyn Wild, Managing Director of SuperClubsPLUS Australia is encouraging parents to keep computers in family areas such as a lounge room, so that children can focus on their studies, reports English.news.cn.

“As sites like Facebook continue to grow in popularity, parents should set ‘house rules’ and help their children learn responsible online behaviours just as they do in regards to their non-internet lives. I don’t suggest you become an ‘internet big brother’, just be aware of when and what your kids are doing online and be prepared to set realistic guidelines,” said Wild.

Telstra has updated its cyber-safety website - www.telstra.com.au/cyber- safety - to include new features that will help guide parents in monitoring their children’s social networking habits. (ANI)