Survey Finds Parents Missing Out on Their Teen's Online Experience

Talk City survey of teenagers online reveals teen support for parental controls and involvement, but low parental involvement in their children's online activity

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CAMPBELL, Calif., June 11, 1998 -- On the eve of the 1998 White House Internet Summit: Digital Media Content for Children and Teens, a survey of online teens conducted by Talk City™, the Internet's leading Community site, discloses that the majority of parents of online teens aren't involved in their children's online explorations, even though 2/3 of their kids think parental involvement and controls are an effective technique. The survey revealed that the vast majority of teenagers (82%) felt they were more 'Net- savvy' than their parents.

"Our results indicate that the best way to address concerns about inappropriate content for children isn't more technology or more laws, rather it's more of Mom and Dad learning about the Web and hanging out online with their kids," said Peter Friedman, chief executive officer and chairman of Talk City. "Teens are willing to have their parents join in their online adventures -- it's up to parents to make sure that the Internet doesn't become the latchkey of the 21st Century."

Talk City is acknowledged as one of the Internet's most appropriate places for teens and children (rated by Family PC and Home PC magazine and others), as it monitors closely its portfolio of home pages, live events, and chat rooms.

White House conference attendees are gathering at the Los Angeles Hilton & Towers for the next two days to continue addressing the issue of how to make the Net a safer and better place for Kids. Talk City is among participants in the conference, and will be demonstrating during the conference two areas of its Community -- The InSite and Youth OnLine -- which have been designed specifically for and by young people and teens.

Here are some highlights of the survey results based on 450 responses from teen participants ages 13-19, polled on Talk City's InSite and Youth Online areas which are designed exclusively for teens.

1. more - 367 (82%)
2. less - 26 (6%)
3. equal - 52 (12%)

1. strongly - 20 (4.5%)
2. a little - 187 (41.7%)
3. not at all - 241 (53.8%)

1. very effective - 65 (14.6%)
2. somewhat effective - 256 (57.5%)
3. not effective - 124 (27.9%)

1. Less than two hours - 118 (26%)
2. 2-4 hours - 187 (42%)
3. Over 4 hours - 145 (32%)

1. Reading - 41 (9%)
2. Physical Activity/Sports - 120 (27%)
3. Crafts/Hobbies - 10 (2%)
4. Writing/Drawing - 23 (5%)
5. Playing an Instrument - 21 (5%)
6. Listening to music - 115 (26%)
7. Watching TV - 112 (25%)
8. Playing Non Computer Games - 7 (2%)

About Talk City

The lead product of LiveWorld(TM) Productions, Inc. (http://www.liveworld.com), Talk City (http://www.talkcity.com) is the Internet's leading Community site, offering people an integrated collection of free home pages, live events, and moderated conversation. Since its inception in 1996, Talk City is acknowledged as the industry's premiere "clean well-lighted" place for online interaction on the Net by virtue of its army of 700 trained Community moderators who manage the service's culture. Talk City distribution and content partners include NBC, WebTV, AT&T Worldnet Services, @Home, Concentric, Borders, Planet Hollywood, Compaq Computer Corporation and others.

To learn more about the 1998 White House Internet Summit: Digital Media Content for Children and Teens, see the conference website: http://whis.ec2.edu.

LiveWorld and Talk City are trademarks of LiveWorld Productions, Inc. All other brands and products are trademarks of their respective companies.

Web Site: http://www.talkcity.com

CONTACT: Betty Taylor, 408-871-4252, bettyt@krause-taylor.com, or Mary Devincenzi, 408-871-4254, mary@krause-taylor.com