Recent research has found that the negative impact of the Internet on children may be overblown.

In a study of 222 urban Korean children in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades, researchers found that while Internet use may reduce total time spent with family, it does so by displacing passive time (e.g., watching television) rather than by displacing active time, such as playing together and family communication.

The impact of Internet use depends specifically on what children do online. For example, playing online games decreases both total time with family and time communicating with family members.

However, for children who frequently use the Internet for homework and searching for educational information, the Internet is not a medium that threatens family relationships.

The researchers also found that online activities that were focused on communicating with friends and family, such as online communities, chatting, and e-mail, were related to declines only in family communication, even though it was marginally significant. That is, family communication is displaced not by the total time spent on the Internet but by functionally equivalent online activities.

The study found that children’s online communication may serve as another means for communication with friends rather than with family members. Increased communication with friends online may lead to declines in communication with family. Which makes sense, since we have only a finite amount of time in which to talk.

How do you help to improve your child’s Internet experience? The study suggested that parents who are actively involved in their children’s Internet use through activities such as recommending Web sites and co-using help increase positive Internet experiences for your children.

And contrary to popular wisdom (but well-known by teenagers), the study found that parental restrictions on time and Web sites did not alter children’s actual Internet usage. So all that money spent on trying to restrict your child’s Internet use is probably wasted, because children inevitably find ways around such restrictions.

Reference: Lee, S-J. & Chae, Y-G. (2007). Children’s Internet Use in a Family Context: Influence on Family Relationships and Parental Mediation. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 10(5):640.

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

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