Parents’ Perception Regarding The Opportunities and Risks of Internet Use on Adolescents

Abstract

The use of the Internet and smart devices that permeate into society has led to adolescents becoming active users of the Internet and various digital devices in daily life. Despite the Internet being regarded as a necessity nowadays, questions arise regarding both the benefits and the risks of Internet use on adolescents. Accordingly, this article aims to discuss parents’ perceptions on the benefits and risks of Internet use on adolescents. A quantitative method was adopted in this study, using questionnaire as the research instrument. A total of 384 parents from the Klang Valley with children aged between 13 and 17 years old who use the Internet were chosen as respondents through purposive sampling. Data analysis was carried out descriptively and inferentially to study the mean and standard deviation. An independent t-test was also conducted. The findings of the study indicate that parents perceive that their adolescent children use the Internet for purposes of learning, entertainment, communication, and obtaining information. However, the use of the Internet is able to expose their adolescent children to strangers as well as the negative influences from online content. Meanwhile, the findings of the study also show that perceptions of the opportunities and risks of the Internet use on adolescents are not influenced by parents’ gender. The findings can also lead to more awareness amongst parents today about the importance of paying attention and monitoring the use of the Internet by their children, especially adolescents, to ensure that the Internet is being used for beneficial purposes and to avoid any risky online activities. Keywords:Parents, opportunities, risks, Internet, adolescents