At what age did you introduce the internet to your children? A seemingly simple question that nonetheless evokes controversy and repeated debate, if not some guilt from parents anxious to prevent possible screen addiction in their angels. According to a new study by the Mozilla Foundation of more than 3,500 parents of children ages 5 to 17 living in the US, Canada, Germany and France, on average, children are most proficient on the Internet between the ages of 5 and 8 made and the UK. On the other hand, it is older in Germany and France, where children discover the Internet at the age of 7 and 8 on average, respectively.

Connected from 2 years

Specifically, 36% of American parents say they introduce their children to the Internet between the ages of 2 and 5, compared to 35% and 34% of Canadian and British parents, respectively. A percentage that drops to 21% for German parents and 16% for French parents. On the other hand, the latter are more likely to introduce their children to the workings of the Internet between the ages of 5-8 and 8-11 (36% and 32%, respectively). It should also be noted that in France, 3% of teenagers between the ages of 14 and 17 are exploring the internet for the first time.

The average online time averages four hours a day across all countries, according to the study, although there are still differences. More than eight in ten French parents (87%) allow their children to use the internet for up to 4 hours a day, but almost half (47%) still set a daily limit of one hour. In France, the average is therefore 2 hours a day. In the United States, the country where children seem to be online the longest, only 57% of parents set the daily limit to 4 hours a day, while 20% allow them to surf between 5 and 7 hours a day, and 7% between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m

Safety in focus

According to the French parents surveyed, school and in particular homework and other school needs would be the main reason why they would introduce their children to the Internet (43%). But it’s not the only one. This is followed by watching entertainment videos (40%), accessing games (29%), the need to keep in touch with family and friends (22%) and, to a lesser extent, online shopping (3%). Which is even more important in the US (8%). But how do children actually use the Internet? Apparently not in the way parents hope, with school supplies only third (54%) behind entertainment videos (67%) and games (61%). At 9%, online shopping was also more important than parents expected.

But that’s not what parents worry about most when it comes to navigation. Security is at the top of the concerns caused by using the Internet. Additionally, almost three quarters of French parents (73%) believe the internet is not a safe place. An opinion shared by only 56% of American parents and 58% of Canadian parents. In France, exposure to inappropriate content (61%) is a particular concern for parents given the threats of online predators (51%) and cyberbullying (50%). An observation that leads parents to make their children aware of this type of danger ever earlier, in France from the age of 5.