Although Singaporean teens spend an average of 17.2 hours on the Internet each week, most of them don't know much about cyber-wellness, defined as being responsible, respectful and rational, as well as being alert to scams and how to protect themselves.

Some say they have lost control over how much time they spend online and think life without the Internet is meaningless and depressing. Most also do not report any illegal activity they may come across online while others do not know what is legal and what is not. Many also exhibited ignorance about copyright laws.

These were among the findings from a preliminary report released by the social work organisation, Fei Yue Community Services, yesterday on a cyberwellness research on Singapore's youth. The study was supported by the National Youth Council and targeted 1, 218 Secondary 1 to 3 students. The poll was aimned at assessing the awareness levels of local students to Internet safety.

The irony is that most students polled believe they are street-smart in cyberspace.

The findings, in fact, show that Singapore youths are not using the Internet optimally and adopting cyber wellness practices.

The report was released to mark Safer Internet Day observed at the Orchard Road branch of the National Library today. The event is a worldwide effort to raise awareness among the younger generations about the dangers of the Internet, as well as to educate them on proper use of the technology.

According to the Cyber Wellness Task Force (CWTF) report in 2004, cyber wellness is: "The positive well-being of Internet users and a healthy cyber culture for the Internet community.

"It involves the understanding of the risks of harmful online behaviour, an awareness of how to protect oneself and others from such behaviour, and a recognition of the power of the Internet to affect oneself and the community at large."

Singapore's blog and e-counselling portal, www.Gen.org.sg, defines cyber wellness as being astute, having respect and responsibility, embracing the Net while inspiring others, and possessing balance.

The research by Fei Yue was carried out from March - July 2006. Findings are as follows:

• Teenagers here spend an average of 17.2 hours per week online.
• 72 per cent of students indicated that their parents knew how to use the Internet.
• 49 per cent of parents never check the websites visited by their children.
• 10 per cent of parents often use Internet filters.
• 67 per cent of parents are unaware of their children's passwords to sites.
• 10 per cent of students sometimes feel depressed, moody or nervous when offline.
• 2 per cent sometimes fear that life would be boring, empty and joyless without the Internet.
• 17 per cent (207 students) indicated that they had met people whom they got to know online.
• 90 per cent would not pay to download files off the Internet.
• An overwhelming majority of respondents never or rarely reported illegal online activities of others.

Fei Yue researchers say that to most, the Internet is a platform for self-expression and chatting rather than as channels for effecting positive differences in society.

From focus group discussions, findings also indicate that in terms of their ability to control time spent online, the students quizzed admitted that they did not have a good control over this.

Perhaps most lacking was the awareness about copyright issues.

Some teenagers gave responses like "..it was free. It should be free", as a reason for being unwilling to pay for downloaded material.

"If it's on the Internet, it's not illegal 'cauz if it's illegal, it would have been taken off already," was another's response.

Internet gaffes, notwithstanding, the findings also revealed that when it comes to chatting with friends, the youths still go for the telephone or mobile phone.

Asked why, many respondents said some topics are hard to explain online and to hear a person's voice was still the best way to gauage how the person expresses a point or idea.

On the students' view that they are street smart in cyberspace, Ms Helen Sim, centre coordinator for Fei Yue, says: "Their idea of being 'ok' is actually pretty dubious."

Fei Yue highly encourages the involvement of parents in building cyber wellness among youths.

Says Ms Sim: "The Internet is seen as a bad medium by parents. There have been too many horror stories."

As such, some parents may have a "blanket disapproval" of the Internet or any sites deemed illegal, she adds. If their children were to report illegal activities they have come across like piracy, these parents may simply chastise their kids for going online and surfing the site in the first place.

Such actions only serve to make communication between child and parent regarding cyber wellness, difficult.

Fei Yue offers some solutions to the overall findings of the research:

Balance

• Help teenagers manage their Internet Usage.
• Equip them with good time management skills.
• Create more avenues that encourage offline leisure activities for teenagers.

Astuteness

• Educate youth on the potential risks in cyberspace.

Respect and Responsibility

• Inculcate the same values of respect online as one would apply to others offline.
• Encourage more education in the area of legal and illegal online activities through the provision of informative pamphlets or handbooks written for youth.
• Provide information about the various authorities and avenues for help when youths come across illegal activities
• Get parents to communicate with their children about online responsibility.

Embracing the Internet and Inspiring Others

• Schools can initiate projects that allow students to use their computing knowledge to serve their communities or help other students.

Overall, Fei Yue says Singapore has focused primarily on equipping students with the 'hard skills'. Given the pervasiveness of technology and how quickly young children are able to adapt and pick up PC skills, this area is well taken care of.

What society needs to concentrate on are the "soft skills" of the young, namely, weaving in the concept of cyber wellness into the curriculum, as well as educating parents on how to cultivate such skills in their children, says the community service.

Fei Yue plans to conduct workshops at the grassroots level to drive home the cyber wellness message. Pamphlets and handouts given to students should also be "reader-friendly" and done in a way that would appeal to youths.

The organisation's next project will be to poll parents on the same issue.