Photo: CONCEPTUAL IMAGES/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
A children's rights charity and online safety advocate have teamed up to ask kids and teenagers about their experiences of using the internet, rather than take the usual "adults know best" approach.
Save the Children and Netsafe launched the anonymous online questionnaire to coincide with Te Rā o Ngā Tamariki Children's Day on Sunday.
The month-long survey would ask five- to 18-year-olds what they - not adults - think would make the internet a safer space, said Save the Children director of Advocacy and Research Jacqui Southey.
"The internet is a big part of life for many tamariki and rangatahi in Aotearoa, but adults don't always understand what it's really like for them. Often, we take an 'adults know best' approach rather than taking time to seek the views of children.
"The views and opinions of young people matter - they know best the experiences they are having online, and what actions decision makers could take to make it a more fun and safe experience."
Netsafe chief executive Brent Carey agreed, saying children were rarely asked to share their own internet experiences, even though they were growing up online.
He said young people were "mostly positive" about their experiences on the internet, but want more say about safety, privacy and security, safer online gaming spaces, better tools to stop online bullying and harassment,and greater controls over what content they see.
It was hoped the survey would get at least a thousand responses, Southey added, and it would help parents, teachers and policy makers better understand how to support young people online.
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