<p>Interactive media technologies like the Internet and video games have opened new avenues of opportunity for many, yet at the same time they represent new challenges and risks, especially for young people.</p><p>In our study, eleven families were interviewed. Their perceptions, experiences and risk management are described in this paper. The children we interviewed were not high media consumers. The vast majority appeared to have a positive attitude towards the Internet, and had learned to handle common interactive media challenges and risk. Nonetheless some online behaviors which we consider risky were indeed commonly practiced. The most commonly encountered risk experienced by children in our study was exposure to undesirable content. Yet, in a group of eleven children two had been victim of cyberbullying and one had been harassed by some classmate or family member.</p><p>The most recurrent negative comments parents made about the internet or video games and children were about the danger of being contacted by strangers, as well as the excessive use of the interactive media technologies.</p><p><strong><p> </p></strong></p>

Interactive media technologies like the Internet and video games have opened new avenues of opportunity for many, yet at the same time they represent new challenges and risks, especially for young people. In our study, eleven families were interviewed. Their perceptions, experiences and risk management are described in this paper. The children we interviewed were not high media consumers. The vast majority appeared to have a positive attitude towards the Internet, and had learned to handle common interactive media challenges and risk. Nonetheless some online behaviors which we consider risky were indeed commonly practiced. The most commonly encountered risk experienced by children in our study was exposure to undesirable content. Yet, in a group of eleven children two had been victim of cyberbullying and one had been harassed by some classmate or family member. The most recurrent negative comments parents made about the internet or video games and children were about the danger of being contacted by strangers, as well as the excessive use of the interactive media technologies.

Der Beitrag stellt die Ergebnisse einer bundesweiten Umfrage zum Thema Internet-Awareness – Risikokompetenz und Risikowahrnehmung im Umgang mit neuen Technologien – vor. Im Versuch der Einordnung werden drei Cluster identifiziert: der Mischtyp Sorglos- & Benefit-Nutzer (Typ C), der eher Kontrollgläubige-Nutzer (Typ B) und der Awareness-Nutzer (Typ A). Der große Teil der befragten Web-2.0-Nutzer, mehr als 82 %, scheint sich der mit dem Internet verbundenen Risiken bewusst und gibt an, sich dementsprechend verantwortungsvoll zu verhalten (Mensch 3.0). Jedoch stellt sich die Frage: Handeln wir tatsächlich so verantwortungsbewusst? Muss Internet-Awareness verstärkt auf den Lehrplan?