The impact of becoming a parent about the perception of Internet risk behaviors

Abstract

The object of this research is to learn about the perception held by the adults of the risk behaviors related to digital technologies and to compare their perception with that of the adolescents. Adults perceive Internet risks differently from adolescents. Being a father or a mother may modify this perception vis-á-vis their children. To do this, a quantitative and descriptive study was carried out. Based on a questionnaire, in which 1383 individuals participated: 259 adults and 1124 adolescents. The results confirm that: (a) the adults have a high perception of the seriousness of risk behaviors; (b) being a parent is a that increases this perception; and (c) there are significant differences in the perception of risks between adults and a part of the adolescents, who are mainly older boys. Among the conclusions, we would highlight the need to incorporate training processes for young people aimed at encouraging critical thinking around risk behaviors, in which both adolescents and adults participate together. This will mean that the perception of risk behaviors will increase in an efficacious way, as well as fostering a more responsible use of digital technologies by adolescents.