Children between 9 and 13 years old as internet users

Abstract

The paper presents the new new media as a contemporary and dominant space in children's lives. Most children begin to use the Internet when they are a few years old, for example, while watching cartoons. The online world can be both an opportunity and a threat to young users. The aim of the research was to determine whether children's growing interest in the Internet has a limiting impact on traditional ways of communication with peers and whether the increasing use of social networking sites by children is determined by the fear of exclusion from their circle of peers. The study was conducted with the use of an online survey distributed among children from the third, fifth, and seventh years of two Polish primary schools. The results include several conclusions regarding children's contact with the new media and their peers. The study showed that the majority of primary school pupils are regular users of the new new media, and their interest in new technologies increases with age.