Children as young as eight (tweens) are adopting technology faster than expected, particularly social networking, with 67 per cent revealing they are currently using a social media site. They are also more advanced in their device usage with between three and four internet enabled devices being used by tweens at any one time.

Released at a roundtable discussion with Senator The Hon. Stephen Conroy Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy as part of National Cyber Security Awareness Week, the report titled Tweens, Teens and Technology Report is an extension of the McAfee Secret Life of Teens report last year and was commissioned to identify the online behaviour gaps between tweens, teens and parents in the digital world.

Key findings:

• Despite the age eligibility for Facebook (13 years      old), 1 in 4 (26%) of tweens are currently using Facebook
• This use is generally approved by parents, with 95%      having parental approval
• 1 in 5 (19%) tweens have chatted to someone online that      they did not know previously
• Cyber Bullying is an issue for tweens, 25% have seen a      nasty comment online
• Cyber bullying becomes an even bigger issue once a      tween enters their teenage years; half of all teens 53% are exposed to      cyber bullying

Commenting on the report Andrew Littleproud, President, McAfee Asia Pacific said, “The findings are a welcome spotlight on tweens. With the national rollout of the NBN and the increase use of devices by our younger audience in the homes, both parents and schools are encouraged to keep a close monitor on their child’s online behaviour to ensure they have safe online experiences.”