Pew Internet

Half of all parents with children under 12 (50%) say they read to their child every day and an additional 26% do so a few times a week.

The vast majority (94%) of parents of minor children (children under 18) feel libraries are very important for their children, not only because they foster a love of reading, but also because they provide information, resources, and a safe place.

Our new report out today portrays the special bond that parents, especially mothers, share with libraries.

TEENS HAVE GONE MOBILE.

Check these stats:

• 78% of teens now have a cell phone, and almost half (47%) of them own smartphones. That translates into 37% of all teens who have smartphones, up from just 23% in 2011.
• 23% of teens have a tablet computer, a level comparable to the general adult population.
• 95% of teens use the internet.
• 93% of teens have a computer or have access to one at home.

AND - 1 in 4 teens are “cell-mostly” internet users, who say they mostly go online using their phone and not using some other device such as a desktop or laptop computer.

More: http://pewrsr.ch/ZmwgLG

Via

A new infographic from Lab42 indicates that 92% of parents are Facebook friends with their kids — 72% even have their kids’ Facebook passwords. 

Our recent report on Teens, kindness and cruelty on social network sites shows that 66% of parents of online teens have checked to see what information about their teen is available on the internet — and more than half of parents say they use parental controls to manage teens’ internet access (another third use parental controls on teens’ mobile phones).

The report also shows that teens rely most heavily on parents and peers for advice about online behavior. Score 1 for parental discretion.

What we’re reading: A new report on awareness, attitudes, and use of online parental controls from the Family Online Safety Institute

Among the main findings:

• Parents generally feel their children are safe online, but confidence declines the older the child and the more time he or she spends online.
• When it comes to various online activities, parents express the most concern about their children viewing sexually explicit content online—70% say they are very/somewhat concerned. Other top concerns include communicating with a stranger online (61%) and visiting Web sites with inappropriate content (61%).
• Fully 96% of parents surveyed say they have had a conversation with their child about what to do and not to do online.
• Top concerns about children’s online safety relate to personal safety online, and significant concern also is expressed about spam and their child spending too much time online.
• 53% of parents say they have used parental control technologies to assist them in monitoring their child’s Internet usage.

Read more at FOSI.org

The research consisted of a nationwide telephone survey among 702 parents of children ages eight to 17 who access the Internet, and was conducted by Hart Research Associates. Interviewing was conducted from July 8 to 16, 2011, with a margin of error of ±3.7 percentage points.

(Click here for a full version of the above infographic - PDF)