The Norton Online Living Report surveyed 9,000 people in 12 countries about internet usage and the social impact of technology. It found that the internet has made relationships better for 70% of people by making it easier to stay connected with tools like video chat, social media, and photo sharing. However, many people and parents feel kids spend too much time online. While technology helps families connect across distances, proper supervision and rules are still needed to protect kids from online risks. The report also found that while most people take security steps, many are still vulnerable due to issues like not updating software or passwords regularly.

1. Norton Online Living Report
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2. Introduction
The role of the Internet in our world continues to grow
and evolve. Just as it revolutionized the way we find
information, experience entertainment and do business,
it’s transforming our social lives in profound ways as well.
For the second year, Symantec commissioned the Norton
Online Living Report to monitor and provide insight into
rapidly changing technology, Internet usage and the
social impact on individuals and families. This year’s
report surveyed 9,000 online adults and kids in 12
countries—the U.S., Canada, UK, France, Germany, Italy,
Sweden, China, Japan, India, Australia and Brazil—with
results that are both surprising and informative about
the impact of technology on relationships, parenting
and security.

3. Can Technology It just might—seven in 10 adults worldwide say that
the Internet has made their relationships better.
Today’s frenzied world makes it challenging for people
Buy You Love? to stay in touch. The good news is that a wide array
of technologies, including webcams, IM, photo shar-
ing and social networking, make it easier than ever to
stay connected. Even President Obama, in one of the
world’s highest-pressure job, uses his BlackBerry and
webcam to stay connected to family and friends. How
are people connecting?
• Email is the baseline with 92% using it to
communicate with friends and family
• 42% use webcams, with very high usage in
China (74%), India (68%), Brazil (66%) and
France (53%)
• Half of adults use social networking
• 7 in 10 access photos online and use IM
• 24% use a Twitter-like service
One of the clear benefits of technology is its ability
to connect (or re-connect) people far and wide. We’re
making more and more of our friends through the
Internet, and blurring the line between the virtual
world and physical world.
Symantec Corporation ©2009 1

4. • Nearly 60% of online adults have made a • 1 in 5 adults flirt online, 1 in 3 in India and Brazil
friend this way, and have an average of 41
online friends • 14% have rekindled romantic relationships,
especially in India (37%) and Brazil (25%)
• Adults in China (86%), India (83%) and Brazil
(82%) are most likely to make friends online, • 1 in 4 have shared a secret online
while those in France (32%) and Japan (38%)
• 1 in 4 find it easier to discuss touchy subjects
are the least likely to make friends online
online than in person or by phone
• Males tend to have more online friends than
• In China and India it’s nearly 2 in 4 that feel that
females do
way and their kids agree
• Three in four have gone on to meet someone in
• Kids in Japan (6%) and Germany (7%) are the
person whom they originally met online
least likely to agree that touchy subjects are
• In Japan and China, adults are less likely to meet easier to discuss online
online friends in the physical world because they
• 1 in 5 online adults sometimes criticize other
fear their online personas are smarter, funnier
people’s comments or ideas, more often in Brazil
and better-looking
37% or China 35% or India 27% vs. Sweden 8%
• 56% have used the Internet to reconnect and Japan 8%
with old friends
• 1 in 10 sometimes make fun of other people
online but 3 in 10 in India are most likely to do so
Aside from allowing people to forge new relation- • Nearly 1 in 10 in India and Brazil admit to
ships, the Internet also helps strengthen existing ties, sending an “flaming” email
rekindle romance or get personal. While some admit to
These days, families may be spread throughout the
negative behavior online, for the most part the Internet
country or even the globe. School, work and friends all
is a positive and central vehicle for communication and
compete for time that might otherwise be spent with
connection. In fact, six in 10 adults say they could not
family. The economic downturn has tightened the reins
live without it.
further, demanding even more of parents who might
already be working full-time jobs to begin with, and
making it harder to travel. For many, the Internet is a
versatile solution for bridging these gaps.
• 71% report that the Internet makes keeping in
touch with family easier
• 53% report that it has improved the quality
of communications
• 45% report that the Internet has improved their
family relationships overall
Symantec Corporation ©2009 2

5. The “E-Family” • 99% feel satisfied with time spent with family,
compared with 50% overall
• Two-thirds say that the Internet has improved
A unique segment we call the “E-Family” their relationship with their family vs.
45% overall
makes up 14% of the online population,
has strong family ties and high Internet • Spend 7 more hours/week online than families
that report weak ties online and offline
usage. More than two-thirds of this group
say that the Internet has improved their • 9 in 10 say their children follow family rules for
being online, compared with 8 in 10 overall
family relationships.
• 9 in 10 have a good knowledge of computers,
compared with 6 in 10 overall
• 9 in 10 like agree they are one of the first out
of their friends or family to check out new
technologies, compared with 6 in 10 overall
• 62% have a profile on a social networking site,
compared with 49% overall
So does technology buy you love? It can certainly help,
as evidenced by people emailing, using a webcam,
or chatting up a storm at more than 100 hours in
some countries. Family and friends are buzzing
online—getting personal, romantic, spilling secrets,
flaming or getting just plain touchy. Some—like the
“E-Family”—are trendsetters who have turned
technology into a family asset. The rest of us know
we can’t live without it and continue to consume
more of it.
TIPS
1. Try something new to connect with friends
and family—whether sharing photos and
videos or looking up old friends
2. Use caution when looking for love online—
the Internet can be a great place to find
romance, but don’t forget the basics of
safety and security apply to the virtual
world as much as the physical world
3. Keep a balance—these days, the line be-
tween online and offline is blurred. Make
sure to balance your online social life with
“real-world” social activities
Symantec Corporation ©2009 3

6. The Internet is kids’ new backyard, where they
spend an average of 39 hours a month, nearly twice
as much time as their parents think they spend.
Parents are still waking up to the fact that parenting
now includes the Internet. Just as they worry about
what their kids eat, how they are doing in school and
who their friends are, they need to be involved in
their online lives
Do You Know Where Your Kids Are...Online?
Last year’s Norton Online Living Report identified Surprisingly, TV reigns over Internet and cell phone as
that kids are very active online, going online for school the most important technology in kids’ lives. However,
projects (94%), entertainment (62%), games (96%) kids are highly active online.
and shopping (49%). This year, they’re online even
• 86% of kids send text messages
more. In fact, six in 10 adults worldwide say kids
spend “too much” time online, and what’s • 73% of kids email from their phones
more, 45% of kids agree.
• 23% are using a Twitter-like service
While a majority of adults feel their kids spend too • Kids on average are spending 3 hours/week
much time online, we found two schools of thought texting: kids in the U.S. text the most at 10
regarding the Internet’s impact on education. Overall, hours/week, while kids in Japan and Germany
adults are evenly split on whether reading online text the least at 1 hour/week vs. adults who
spend 2 hours/week texting
is as valuable as reading a book. They are also of two
minds about whether writing skills are hindered by • 92% of kids socialize with family and friends
communicating through email and IM. Interestingly, online, approximately 5 hours a week
kids are equally divided on these questions.
• 55% of kids have made friends online, up from
45% of kids in countries surveyed last year and
have an average of 37 online friends. U.S. kids
have the most friends at 82, and kids in Japan
have the fewest at 13
Symantec Corporation ©2009 4

7. What else are kids doing online? Last year’s Norton • 33% of parents say it’s hard to create rules for
Online Living Report found that 1 in 5 kids admitted Internet use because it wasn’t around when
to conducting activities that their parents wouldn’t they were kids
approve of. This year, 1 in 5 got caught! In Canada, • 22% of kids go online at a friend’s house,
Sweden and Brazil, 1 in 3 parents caught their kids making it challenging for parents to provide
engaging in online activities they don’t approve of. supervsion (53% of parents in Sweden report
Perhaps not surprisingly, more parents are spying on their child connects to the Internet at a friend’s
house, 9% in Japan and 13% in Italy)
their kids online, 33% compared to 25% last year, and
reprimanding them for breaking (34%) Internet rules. As the Internet becomes a larger and larger part of
As we have seen from well-publicized examples of our lives, establishing boundaries for online activity
worst-case scenarios—from the Megan Meier case between parents and children is increasingly vital.
to “sexting” to cyberbullying—risky behavior online Like anything else, open dialogue and clear expecta-
can have serious consequences. tions are the most important steps. You don’t have
to “out-tech” your kids to protect them online.
On a positive note, kids are starting to open the door
online to their parents and even their grandparents,
effectively closing the generation gap.
• 1 in 4 kids are “friending” their parents online.
Brazilian kids are the most open with 7 in 10
kids including their parents on their buddy lists,
8 in 10 on their email contact lists, and 6 in 10
on their social networking site TIPS
• Kids in Japan are the least likely to have one of
their parents as an online contact: 39% have a
1. Have “The Talk” frequently and establish
parent on their email contact list, while only
realistic rules. Engage in dialogue about who,
9% have a parent as a contact/friend on their
what and where your kids are online but
online social networking site profile
make it fun, not an interrogation
• 10% of kids use new technologies (IM, social
2. Deploy basic preventative security
networking, texting, email) to connect with
measures—an all-in-one security suite
their grandparents
and parental controls
3. Participate in their lives online—in addition
In other signs of progress, parents recognize that they to joining their kids in texting, IM’ing and
are responsible for keeping their kids safe online. They social networking, parents can learn more
are taking measures such as talking to their kids about about their kids by looking at their online
videos, photos and status updates, or
online safety (70%) and setting parental controls
even “Googling” them
(33%), but many don’t know where to start. Supervi-
sion is inherently difficult when it comes to the online
world. Not only is the Web’s content available to any-
one with a search engine, it’s easy for kids to bypass
parents altogether by logging on from
outside the household.
• 7 in 10 kids have rules for using the Internet; and
parents and kids concur that they are following
the rules 80% of the time
• 70% of parents are now talking to their kids
about online safety (up 20% from last year)
• 90% of parents worldwide see that it’s their
responsibility to keep their kids safe online
Symantec Corporation ©2009 5

8. So You Think One of the most surprising statistics that we found
in this year’s Norton Online Living Report was that
99% of those surveyed say they take steps to secure
You’re Secure? their personal information. The reality, however, is
that most people still fall short, despite the fact that
many have experienced the pain of being hacked,
losing data or having their computer crash.
What’s causing this security paradox? One factor is
lack of awareness about today’s threat environment.
Instead of widespread, headline-making virus out-
breaks, cybercriminals are targeting people’s pock-
etbooks, using spam and phishing to gather credit
card and financial account information. Consumers
are relying on outdated virus scanners that don’t ad-
dress new threats such as bots, worms, spyware and
drive-by downloads. The other danger is complacency.
Most people are taking some take steps to protect
themselves online but leaving themselves vulnerable
by visiting untrusted Web sites (46%), not backing up
data (55%), not changing passwords frequently (67%)
and giving out personal information online (33%).
• Adults in India (67%), Italy (68%) and
Japan (72%) are least likely to install
security software
• 2 in 10 (globally) still don’t have security
software installed
• Another 2 in 10 do not run virus scans frequently
• Over half of adults in Japan (55%) and 1 in 4
(globally) report a lack of confidence that their
personal information online is secure
• Roughly half of online adults have experienced
either a hard drive crash and lost irreplaceable
data or had someone break into their computer
Symantec Corporation ©2009 6

9. In spite of all this bad news, people overwhelmingly
agree that the benefits of using the Internet outweigh
the risks. Online technologies have the potential to
connect our lives in ways that were all but impossible
in the recent past. Without the right security, however,
we run the risk of inviting in more problems than we
solve. Fortunately, a combination of awareness and
proactive precaution can keep our online experiences
safe, positive and enriching.
• Online adults (89%) and online children (90%)
overwhelmingly agree that the benefits of
using the Internet outweigh the risks
• Adults would give up their cars or digital music
players before giving up Internet access
Online security is like insurance. You wouldn’t drive
without car insurance, and you shouldn’t surf, Tweet
or Facebook, without comprehensive online security. It
may seem daunting, but you don’t have to know what
a bot is to protect yourself online.
TIPS
1. Choose a comprehensive Internet security
suite and backup your important data.
Antivirus alone is not enough for today’s
threat environment
2. Use common sense—don’t use the same
password for multiple accounts, don’t share
personal information, don’t open or click on
links in emails from people you don’t know
3. Get a tune-up for your PC. You get a tune-up
from your car at least twice a year; you use
your PC just as much. A tune-up helps identify
deep-rooted threats, protects it from crashes
and can make the performance of your PC
feel like new
Symantec Corporation ©2009 7

10. Methodology
The Norton Online Living Report survey was conducted
online in 12 countries (the United States, Canada, the
United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, China,
Japan, India, Australia, and Brazil) by Harris Interactive on
behalf of Symantec between October 13th and December
5th, 2008 among 6,427 adults 18 years old and older
(including 1,297 parents of children ages 8-17) and 2,614
children aged 8-17 who spend one or more hours online
each month. Results were weighted as needed to be rep-
resentative of the online population of adults and children
for each country. Throughout this report, global totals
refer to the simple, combined percentage of the
12 countries.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use
probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of
error which are most often impossible to quantify or
estimate, including sampling error, coverage error,
error associated with nonresponse, error associated with
question wording and response options, and post-survey
weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive
avoids the words “margin of error” as they are misleading.
All that can be calculated are different possible sampling
errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted,
random samples with 100% response rates. These are
only theoretical because no published polls come close
to this ideal.
Respondents for this survey were selected from among
those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive
surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the com-
position of the online population in each of the countries
surveyed. Because the sample is based on members of
the Harris Interactive online research panel, no estimates
of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

11. Online Living: The Internet is continually making the world a smaller
place, but significant differences still remain. Of the 12
countries surveyed, a surprising variance emerged on
Global Differences questions regarding adoption of technology, communi-
cation between parents and children about online
activities, and the Internet’s impact on socializing,
learning and culture. The following facts highlight
these differences.
Australia
• Among all the countries surveyed, Australia’s
online parents are most likely to agree, "I always
know what my children are looking at online
(86%); however, only two-thirds (65%) of
Australian kids agree, "my parents know what I
am looking at when I am online." This is the
largest gap in all countries.
• Confidence in the knowledge of what their child
does online is highest in Australia (86%)
• Among all countries surveyed, the average number
of children online parents have is 2.0; however
Australian online parents report the highest
number of children in their households (2.8)
• Australian adults are most likely to believe that
children spend too much time online (65%
agreement compared to the UK, France,
Japan, India)
• Along with India, adults in Australia are most likely
to agree that the Internet has eased the learning
process (89% India, 86% Australia)
• Though 90% of Australian youth agree that the
Internet has made learning much easier for children
today, 63% feel that email, instant messaging, text
messaging and posting on social networking web
sites or blogs make it harder for children today to
learn to write well
• Online Australian adults are most likely to report
the Internet is slow (34%) and one in three (72%)
feel this slowness has to do with their Internet
connection
• Australians rank their cars at the top of their
list of things that they can’t live without (50%),
followed by Internet access (46%) and TV (45%)
• Australia ranked third in the list of countries in
which online adults are most unaware of services
like Twitter, which allow short but frequent contact
between individuals (Sweden [30%], the U.K.
[27%], Australia [25%])
Symantec Corporation ©2009 9

12. Brazil Canada
• Of the 12 countries surveyed, kids in Brazil spend • At 89%, online adults in Canada report the highest
the most time online (70 hours per month), while level of parental responsibility for protecting
parents in Brazil believe their kids spend 56 hours their children online
per month online
• Parents in Canada are most likely to report being
• Kids in Brazil are the most inclusive of their extremely/very knowledgeable in discussing
parents, with 70% including their parents on their Internet activities in which their children
buddy lists, 79% including their parents on their participate, particularly websites frequently visited
email contact lists, and 60% including their parents (73%) and sharing personal information on the
as a contact on their social networking site Internet (84%). They feel least knowledgeable
discussing family finances (57%)
• 75% of online parents in Brazil feel very or
extremely knowledgeable discussing sex with their • At 45%, Canada has the lowest percentage of
children, the highest among the countries surveyed online adults who say they are among the first of
(on average, 41% of online parents feel very/ their friends and family to check out a new
extremely knowledgeable discussing sex with technology, compared to 62% globally
their kids)
• Of all the countries surveyed, Canadian kids (39%)
• 72% of online parents in Brazil feel more are least likely to have their parent in their cell
knowledgeable discussing sex with their kids than phone address book
discussing family finances (72%) or the websites
their child visits (66%) • One in three Canadian parents have caught their
child online engaging in activity they don’t
• Of all countries surveyed, online adults in Brazil approve of
spend the most time sharing photos online, at
four hours per week • 68% of online parents in Canada report the
Internet has improved their relationship with
• Kids in Brazil socialize online to a greater extent their family
than those in other countries, at 13 hours per week
• 95% of online parents in Canada report having
• 74% of adults in Brazil IM with family members high levels of involvement in their kids’ lives
at least once a week, compared with 43% of
adults globally • 89% of online parents in Canada feel they can
talk to their child about almost anything
• Two-thirds of online parents in Brazil admit they
have monitored their children’s Internet usage by • Almost three-quarters of adults (73%) and an even
reading their email or tracking websites they higher numbers of parents (77%) in Canada
visited using cookies believe that children spend too much time online,
in contrast to just over half of children (54%) who
• 48% of online parents in Brazil are likely to have believe children spend too much time online
reprimanded their child for inappropriate
online behavior • Canadian adults (62%), parents (65%) and
kids (58%), to a lesser degree, see time spent
• Parental confidence in Brazil is high—74% are online by kids as wasting time
confident they know what their child is looking at
online; the children tell a similar story, as 72% • One-third of Canadian kids have parents as a
of kids report their parents know what they are contact on their social networking website
doing online
Symantec Corporation ©2009 10

13. China France
• At 83%, online adults in China say they are • At 78%, kids in France were most likely to report
among the first of their friends and family to that online messaging techniques and texting
check out a new technology, the highest of the make learning to write well more difficult .
countries surveyed and compared to 62% overall.
In China, adults (47%) and parents (43%) are • Online French parents (6%) are least likely to
by far most likely to report that the Internet consider their child to be their friend
actually makes educating their children harder.
• About three in four French kids feel the Internet
• Online parents in China (70%) are among the has made learning much easier for children today,
most likely to trust parental controls the lowest, with Italy, of all the countries surveyed
• Of all countries surveyed, China feels the strongest • Online French adults are the least likely of the
(54%) that Internet security companies have countries surveyed to have sent a flaming email,
responsibility for protecting children online as 95% have never done so
• When on vacation, Chinese online adults are most • Half of parents in France admit they have
likely to talk on a cell phone or send a text monitored their children’s Internet usage by reading
message, IM or email to a friend (90%) than a their email or tracking websites they visited
family member (83%)
• French parents are far more confident that their
• The only country surveyed in which less than half children are following family rules for Internet use
of adults agree that emailing, online messaging, than the children are reporting (85% parents vs.
text messaging, and posting on social networking 71% kids)
sites or blogs may impede children from learning
• More than half of online adults use webcams. One
how to write well is China(46%)
in four online adults in France use webcams
• Adults and youth in China (52% adults, 56% kids) less than once a month, and only 15% use them
are more likely than those in other countries to be at least once a week—less than half the proportion
willing to discuss touchy subjects online of online adults who report weekly usage in China,
India and Brazil.
• 56% of kids in China are more willing to
communicate with their family about touchy • Only about one-third of adults in France have made
subjects online than on the phone or in person, friends online
compared to 33% worldwide
• 70% of parents in France are likely to see their
• About four in five adults and kids say they child’s time spent on the Internet as time mainly
could not live without the Internet (85% adults; learning rather than wasting time, and 66% of
83% kids) kids agree
• Overall, 54% of online adults and 66% of online
kids find reading on the Internet as valuable for
children as reading a book. In China, 79% of
parents and 88% of kids find reading on the
Internet as valuable for children as reading a book.
Symantec Corporation ©2009 11

14. Germany India
• Online adults in Germany report the highest level • About one in four (24%) online adults sometimes
of socializing with family or friends in the real share a secret or something personal with
world at 23 hours per week. Overall adults in the someone online. Those in India (36%) are most
countries surveyed report spending 15 hours per likely to do so.
week socializing with family or friends in the
real world. • Of all countries surveyed, online adults in India
report the most mean hours per week sending
• 55% of German parents have had a media-free text messages from a phone (four)
day at home, during which their child did not watch
TV, go online or use the computer. This is the • Online adults in India (52%) are more likely than
highest out of the countries surveyed, compared those in all other countries to say that the Internet
with 20% globally. makes it harder to have meaningful conversations
with family members
• Online parents in Germany are the least
dissatisfied (6%) with the amount of fun their • Of all countries surveyed, 14% of online adults
family has together report they would miss out on family activities
without the Internet. India reports much higher
• Kids in Germany (7%) were the least likely to agree levels than other countries. In India, adults (41%)
that it is easier to communicate with their family and parents (43%) are much more likely than those
about touchy subjects online than on the phone in other countries to say they would miss out on
or in person family activities without the Internet
• One in three online adults do not use photo-sharing • Online adults in Japan (68%) and India (68%)
websites, the lowest use in the countries surveyed are most likely to report their Internet connection
is just the right speed
• At 78%, German adults are among the least
likely to report that since they started using email • Overall, adults in the countries surveyed report
and IM, there are some people they never talk to spending 15 mean hours per week socializing
on the phone anymore with family or friends in the real world. Online
adults in India report the lowest level of
• Overall, 10% of kids in all the countries socializing with family or friends in the real
surveyed report the risks of using the Internet world at eight mean hours per week
outweigh the benefits. Online adults in Germany
are the most risk-averse with just over one in four • One in three online kids are more willing to
(26%) reporting the risks of using the Internet communicate with their family about touchy
outweigh the benefits. subjects online than on the phone or in person.
This percentage almost doubles in India (59%).
• Overall, 5% of adults in the countries surveyed
dislike learning about new websites or Internet • Online adults and parents in India (10% adults,
communication tools, with the highest levels 16% parents) feel their children don’t spend
of dislike being reported in Germany (12%) enough time online
and Japan (12%)
• About one-quarter of all online adults surveyed—
• One in five online parents in Germany have caught and more than two in five in India—report since
their child doing something they don’t approve they started using email and IM, there are some
of, but only 9% have reprimanded their child for people they never talk to on the phone anymore
such behavior
• Among all parents surveyed, one in three (35%)
• 0ver one-third of kids agree that online and text agree that their child is more careful online than
messaging may obstruct learning to write they are. Almost three in four (72%) online parents
for children in India agree that their child is more careful
online than they are.
• Parental confidence in Germany is extremely
high—81% are confident they know what their
child is looking at online. The children report
a different story as two-thirds of kids report their
parents know what they are doing online.
Symantec Corporation ©2009 12

15. Italy Japan
• Italy reports the most agreement between how • Online parents in Japan are least likely to set
often a parent reports knowing where a child is parental controls (18%), monitor their children
online and the percentage of time a child reports online (10%), or discuss safe online habits (10%)
that the parents know where they are (77%
parents vs. 78% kids) • Online Japanese parents report the lowest incidents
of reprimanding (12%) or catching their child doing
• At 2%, kids in Italy are least likely to have ignored something online that they do not approve of (3%)
an email from a family member, compared with
11% worldwide • More than elsewhere, a large portion of online
parents in Japan (40%) report that it is also the
• Italy places the least amount of responsibility on child’s responsibility to protect him/herself online
children to protect themselves online (7%) and
feels that most of the responsibility lies with the • Online adults in Japan report the lowest mean
parents (91%) hours per week spent instant messaging from a
computer (one hour) and socializing with family
• At 13%, Italy has one of the lowest parental or friends online (two hours)
reports of children connecting to the Internet at
a friend’s house • Online Japanese adults have the largest
disagreement with the statements, “I am confident
• Half of online parents in Italy admit they have that my personal information online is secure”
monitored their children’s Internet usage by (55%) and “I know how to keep my personal
reading their email or tracking websites they information secure when using the Internet” (29%)
visited using cookies
• Online Japanese adults put more responsibility on
• 73% of adults in Italy say they are usually the first children (40%) to protect themselves online than
of their friends and family to check out a new other countries surveyed and the least amount of
technology, compared with three in five worldwide responsibility on parents (80%) than other
countries surveyed
• Italian parents (60%) are notably less enthusiastic
about the Internet as a means to facilitate learning • Japanese adults and kids are much more
than most other countries apathetic about the Internet, with 38% of adults
and 47% of kids reporting that they neither like
• Adults in Italy report not being able to live without nor dislike learning about the Internet
Internet access (55%), cell phones (54%) and
cars (47%) • Overall 5% of countries surveyed dislike learning
about new websites or Internet communication
• About one in four online Italian adults do not tools; the highest levels of dislike are reported in
know how to keep their personal information Germany (12%) and Japan (12%)
secure when using the Internet
• Though 62% of kids in Japan feel the Internet
• Fewer than one in five Italian adults and kids makes learning easier, this is a lower proportion
have/use short text messages like Twitter (15% than in other countries. Japanese adults (16%),
adults; 17% kids) parents (12%) and kids (27%) were among the
most likely to report that “not enough” time is
spent on the Internet by children.
• Overall, online adults report their knowledge of
using a computer to be terrible/bad 6% of the time,
while almost one-quarter of online adults in Japan,
reports their knowledge using a computer to
be terrible/bad
• Only one in four online parents in Japan had
discussed sharing personal information on the
Internet with their child
Symantec Corporation ©2009 13

16. Sweden United Kingdom
• Sweden is the only country where the Internet did • Internet access (49%) tops the chart in the UK for
not make the top three list of things they couldn't things that individuals couldn’t live without,
live without; instead the top three were cellphone followed by cell phone (42%) and car (41%)
(46%), television (46%) and car (39%)
• There are major discrepancies between kids'
• Kids in Sweden (nine hours) and Brazil (13 hours) reports of time online versus parents' reporting
socialize online to a greater extent than those in of their child’s online use. Kids report spending
other countries (five hours) twice as much time online as parents estimate
(44 hours per month kids vs. 19 hours per
• Parents in Sweden were most likely (35%) to have month parents).
caught their child engaging in activities that they do
not approve of online • At 53%, kids in the UK are the most likely to agree
that online messaging and texting make it more
• Along with Japan, Swedish parents were least likely difficult for children to learn to write well
to set parental controls on family computers (22%
for Sweden, 18% for Japan) • Kids in the UK are most likely to stay in touch with
their parents via text messaging (29%)
• Overall, Swedish parents are among the most likely
to say that they can talk to their child about • Kids in the UK (70%) and China (68%) are the
anything (88%) most likely to skip technological communications
and meet their grandparents in person
• Adults and kids in Sweden are least likely to know
about services like Twitter (30% adults, • Online adults in the UK (20%) are the least likely
67% kids) to talk on a cell phone, text message, IM or email
family, friends, co-workers, boyfriends/girlfriends
• 53% of online parents in Sweden report their child on vacation than online adults from the other
connects to the Internet at a friend’s house, countries surveyed
compared with 22% worldwide
• Adults in the UK (6%) are the least likely to ignore
• Swedish online parents feel more knowledgeable an email or instant message from a family member
discussing sensitive topics such as finances, sex,
and drugs than the websites their children are • 54% of online parents in the UK say they have set
frequenting (80% finance, 64% sex, 71% drugs, parental controls, higher than the global average
vs. 60% frequented websites) of one-third
• Half of kids in Sweden agree that online messaging • Parental confidence in the UK is extremely high—
and texting make learning to write well harder 81% are confident they know what their child is
for children looking at online; the children report a different
story—69% of kids report their parents know
• In some countries, there was a wide discrepancy what they are doing online
between parents and kids regarding parents
knowing what their child is looking at online. • Along with Australia, parents in the UK have high
However, in Sweden, parents and kids have a high confidence in the knowledge of what their child
level of agreement (58% parents vs. 53% kids) does online (Australia [86%], UK [81%])
• Just after India and Australia, adults in the UK are
most likely to agree that the Internet makes learning
easier for children today (85% agree)
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17. United States
• U.S. kids have an average of 83 online friends, the
highest number among the 12 countries surveyed
• Kids in the U.S. are out-texting their global cohorts,
at ten hours per week versus four hours per week
for the global average
• U.S. kids report spending twice as much time online
as parents estimate (42 hours per month kids vs.
18 hours per month parents)
• 63% of U.S. parents, and 55% of U.S. kids, believe
that children spend too much time on the Internet
• In the U.S., there is evidence that “early adopters”
also use webcams to communicate with friends and
family. 55% of online adults who say they are early
adopters use webcams. 27% of this group use web-
cams at least once a week.
• There is a large discrepancy between how often U.S.
parents think they know where their child is online
and how often kids report their parents know
where they are online (73% parents vs. 61% kids)
• Half of U.S. kids agree that IM and texting make
learning to write more difficult
• Almost half of online parents in the U.S. (47%) have
reprimanded their child for doing something online
they don’t approve of
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18. Additional
Findings

19. Maintaining Social Graces Canada (93%), and the U.S. (93%) report never
having sent an abusive (flaming) email
in an Online World (95%), Canada (93%), and the U.S. (93%) report
never having sent an abusive (flaming) email
Most adults use the Internet in a positive way. Very few • 3% of online adults have sent an email in an
report that they have sent abusive emails or made fun abusive way at least sometimes, but this occurs
of other people online. Those in France (95%), Canada more often in India (10%) and Brazil (9%)
(93%), and the U.S. (93%) are least likely to have sent
• About one-fifth (21%) of online adults sometimes
a “flaming” email, while those in India (10%) and Brazil criticize other people’s comments or ideas online at
(9%) are most likely to have done so. Adults are more least sometimes, but this happens more often in
likely to criticize other people’s comments or ideas online Brazil (37%), China (35%), and India (27%), and
than send abusive emails, though the frequency of this less often in Sweden (8%) and Japan (8%)
behavior is relatively low: about one in five (21%) report • Online males (63%) are more likely to have
criticizing often or sometimes. This behavior is least likely criticized other people’s comments or ideas online
to occur in Sweden and Japan (both 8% report doing it at than online females (46%)
least sometimes). If an adult has sent an abusive email,
• Only about one in ten (12%) online adults
criticized someone or made fun of someone online, they sometimes make fun of other people online, but
are far more likely to be male than female. those in India (34%) are most likely to do so
Most kids are conducting themselves graciously online. In
general, few parents (22%) report that they have caught
their child doing something they do not approve of online.
Parents in Japan (3%) are least likely to report this, while
parents in Canada (32%), Sweden (35%), and Brazil
(31%) are most likely to have caught their child engaging
in activity they don’t approve of. In all countries except for
Germany, a greater proportion of parents reprimand their
child for inappropriate online behavior than the number
who report actually catching their child engaging in such
deeds.
Even though kids’ engagement in ungracious behavior
online is low, about half of parents in Brazil (66%), France
(50%), and Italy (50%) have monitored their children’s
Internet usage by reading their email or tracking websites
they visited using cookies. Parents are least likely to have
monitored their children’s Internet usage in Japan (10%),
China (22%), and India (24%). While parents in Japan are
least likely to set parental controls, monitor their children,
or discuss safe online habits, these parents also report
the lowest incidents of reprimanding or catching their
child doing something online that they do not approve of.
Criticizing and Abusive Emails
• 88% of online adults report never sending an
abusive email
• Online males (16%) are more likely to report having
sent an abusive email than online females (7%)
• More than nine in ten online adults in France (95%),
Symantec Corporation ©2009 17

20. For the Love of Cars
When given a short list of items and asked which of these
could they live without, a majority of online adults indi-
cated they cannot live without Internet access. However,
this finding varies by country and gender. Internet access
topped the list of necessities for the UK, Germany, Italy,
and Brazil. Most adults in the U.S., Canada, France, and
Australia would prefer not to live without their car, while
adults in China and India are most attached to their cell
phones. In fact, adults in China tend to be the most at-
tached to all items listed. Women and men don’t vary dra-
matically in most cases, though men feel more attached
to the data on their computers while women are more
attached to their pets and make-up.
Symantec Corporation ©2009 18

21. Birds and Bees or Bits
and Bytes?
Among difficult issues that parents and adults discuss
with children, it is surprising how knowledgeable adults
feel across a variety of topics – from family finances to
sex and drugs to their children’s Internet activity.
Overall, mothers feel more knowledgeable discussing
sex than do fathers. Not surprisingly, parents in some
countries, for example, Brazil, feel far more knowledge-
able discussing these sometimes sensitive topics than do
parents in other countries, for example, China and Japan.
In general, parents in most countries are more likely
to feel knowledgeable discussing technology, drugs, or
finances with children than they would talking about sex.
It could be that parents are simply more uncomfortable,
and not necessarily less knowledgeable, when it comes to
discussing sex with their children.
In countries where parents feel knowledgeable discussing
finances, sex, and drugs, parents are also more likely to
feel knowledgeable discussing their children’s Internet ac-
tivity, specifically websites their children frequently visit
and sharing personal information on the Internet.
In some countries, parents actually feel more knowl-
edgeable discussing sometimes sensitive topics such as
finances, sex, and drugs than the websites their children
are frequenting. This is true in Brazil (finances 72%, sex
75%, drugs 92%, vs. frequented websites 66%) and Swe-
den (finance 80%, sex 64%, drugs 71%, vs. frequented
websites 60%).
Parents in the U.S. and Canada are most likely to report
being knowledgeable about the Internet activities in
which their children participate, namely, the websites
their children visit and sharing personal information over
the Internet. Importantly, these are the same countries
in which parents report feeling their children spend “too
much time” online. Thus, it may be that parents in these
countries are more sensitive to their children’s usage of
the Internet and therefore more vigilant and cautious
about how their children’s time is spent online.
Symantec Corporation ©2009 19

22. Two Schools of Thought valuable to children as reading a traditional book:as
reading a traditional book:
Regarding Impact on • Adults: UK (59%), Australia (59%), Canada and
Education the U.S. (both 51%)
• Parents: UK (63%), U.S. (62%), Australia (60%),
The Internet as an avenue for children’s development
Canada and Sweden (both 49%)
of reading and writing skills receives varied evaluations
across countries. A majority of adults (54%) and kids • Kids: Australia (74%), UK (71%), Canada (69%),
(66%) feel that reading online is just as valuable for and Sweden (63%)
children as reading a book. Adults and kids in countries
Learning to Write: Hindered By Texts, Instant
which emphasize the learning potential the Internet
Messaging and Social Networking?
provides, namely China and India, are most likely to agree
with this statement. Notably, kids in China (88%), India • Overall 63% of adults and 50% of kids agree that
(77%), Australia (74%) and the UK (71%) are the most online messaging and communication make it
likely to find the value of online reading to be compa- harder for children today to learn to write well
rable to the value of reading a book. In general, kids are • A majority of adults in France (82%), the U.S.
more likely than adults or parents to agree that online (78%), Canada (73%), Australia (72%), and Brazil
and offline reading are equally valuable. However, kids in (70%) agree that these types of online messaging
France, Italy, and Japan are most likely to disagree that and communication make learning to write well
online reading provides just as valuable an experience as harder for today’s children. Concern is shared by a
smaller, but still significant majority of adults in the
traditional books.
UK (69%), India (68%), Italy (64%), Sweden,
Germany, and Japan (all 58%)
Although many adults and parents agree with kids that
reading on the Internet is just as valuable as traditional • The only country in which less than half of adults
agree that online messaging may impede learning
book reading—and that the Internet may, in fact, make
to write well is China (46%) – a country in which
learning easier--they both report heightened concern the benefits of learning using the Internet are
about the impact of texting, emailing, instant messaging heavily supported
and posting information on social networks on the ability
• In several countries, including Canada (78%),
of children today to write well. Compared to all adults,
the U.S. (77%), India (76%), France (76%),
parents have more varied feelings about the impact of Australia (70%), Brazil (69%), Sweden (65%), and
email, instant messaging, text messaging, and posting Italy (57%), the majority of parents agree that
information on social networking websites or blogs on writing well is hindered by emailing, instant
children’s ability to write well. In many countries, kids messaging and posting on social networking web
sites or blogs
echo parents’ and adults’ concern about the impact of
these new communication tools on their ability to learn • Just one-third of parents in China (34%) agree that
to write well. writing on the computer or text messaging may
make it harder for children to learn to write well
Online Reading • Parents in Germany, the UK, and Japan appear to
be split on the role of these new technologies on
Overall, 54% of online adults and 66% of online kids find the development of children’s writing skills: in
reading on the Internet as valuable for children as reading Germany, 50% agree that it is a hindrance, while
50% disagree; in the UK, 51% agree, while 49%
a book
disagree; and, in Japan, 48% agree, while
52% disagree
Large majorities of adults, parents, and kids in China and
India find the Internet provides reading just as valuable as • A majority of kids in France (78%) and Brazil (73%),
followed by Australia (63%), Canada (63%), Italy
a book for children
(59%), and Japan (55%), agree that these online
messaging techniques and texting make learning to
Additionally, in the following countries, at least about half write well more difficult for children
of respondents agree that reading online is equally as
• Further, about half of kids in the UK (53%), the U.S.
Symantec Corporation ©2009 20

23. (52%), and Sweden (49%) also agree that online UK (61%),
messaging and texting make learning to write well
harder for children • Kids in China (84%), India (76%), Italy (75%), France
(66%), Japan (61%), Germany (58%), the UK (55%),
• Only in Germany (38%) and China (34%) do fewer and Australia (53%)
than half of kids agree that online and text
Parents and Kids Believe the Internet
messaging may obstruct learning to write for
Facilitates Learning
children
• Overall adults (78%) parents (82%) and kids (87%)
Impact of Internet on Children’s Education agree that the Internet makes learning easier for
children today
Overall adults (78%) parents (82%) and kids(87%) agree • Reports that the Internet has made learning much
that the Internet makes learning easier for children easier for children today are particularly high
today and about one-third of adults (37%) agree that among kids in India (97%), China (96%), UK (95%),
Australia (90%), Sweden (90%), Brazil (87%), U.S.
the Internet makes it easier to educate children. Reports
(86%), and Canada (86%), followed by Germany
of this are particularly high among kids in India (97%), (78%), France and Italy (both 74%).
China (96%), UK (95%), Australia (90%), Sweden (90%),
Brazil (87%), U.S. (86%), and Canada (86%), followed • Though more than three in five kids in Japan
feel the Internet makes learning easier, this is a
by Germany (78%), France and Italy (both 74%). Despite
lower proportion than kids in other countries.
the finding that majorities of kids in all of these countries Interestingly, Japanese adults (16%), parents (12%)
agree that the Internet makes learning easier, many kids and kids (27%) were among the most likely to
still report that the time spent on the Internet is wasteful. report that “not enough” time is spent on the
Though still a majority (62%), kids in Japan are less likely Internet by children.
than those in other countries to agree that the Internet • A large majority of parents in China (94%), India
facilitates learning. Interestingly, Japanese adults (16%), (88%), Brazil (88%), the U.S. (86%), Australia
parents (12%), and kids (27%) were among the most (85%), the UK (84%), Germany (78%), Sweden
likely to report that “not enough” time is spent online (78%), and Canada (77%) believe the Internet
makes learning easier for children today.
Despite the finding that majorities of kids in all of these • Parents are notably less enthusiastic about the
countries think that the Internet makes learning easier, Internet as a means to facilitate learning in France
many kids still report that the time spent on the Internet (72%), Italy (60%), and Japan (64%).
is wasteful. Though still a majority (62%), kids in Japan • Most adults in India (89%), Australia (86%), the
are less likely than those in other countries to agree that UK, China (both 85%), and Brazil (83%) agree that
the Internet facilitates learning. Interestingly, Japanese the Internet has eased the learning process,
adults, parents, and kids were among the most likely to followed by the U.S. (78%), Sweden (74%), and
report that “not enough” time is spent online (16%). Canada (72%)
Effect on Ease of Teaching
Though opinions vary across the countries surveyed,
parents and adults within each country seem to have • Overall parents (39%) and adults (37%) report that
similar views about the impact of the Internet on their the Internet makes it easier for parents to teach
children’s education. their children
• Parents in India (53%), the U.S. (57%), Canada
Countries where online users predominantly (55%), the UK (53%) and Australia (50%), followed
believe children are mainly “learning valuable by those in Sweden (43%) and China (42%
skills” online
• Adults in India (62%), Australia (50%), the UK
(48%), U.S., Canada (both 44%), China and Sweden
• Adults in India (64%), Italy (60%), France (58%), (both 42%)
China (57%), and Japan (53%)
• Parents in France (70%), India (72%), Italy (67%),
China (66%), Japan (63%), Germany (62%), and the
Symantec Corporation ©2009 21

24. Interestingly, in several countries, parents and adults are
most likely to report that the Internet makes no difference
in the difficulty or ease they have educating their children
• Parents in France (74%), Germany (73%),
and Japan (68%)
• Adults in France (68%), Germany (62%),
and Japan (58%)
In China, adults (47%) and parents (43%) are by far the
most likely to report that the Internet actually makes
educating their children harder.
Symantec Corporation ©2009 22