Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
PRNewswire - December 11, 2001
The survey report, Generation Rx.com, includes findings on how young people use the Internet as a health resource, their concerns about confidentiality, their opinions on filtering technology and online pornography, and new data on where and how often teens and young adults are going online. Ninety percent of all young people have been online. Of these online youth, about three-fourths have searched for health information (75%), played games (72%), or downloaded music (72%), while fewer have participated in chats (67%), shopped (50%) or checked sports scores (46%). The majority (55%) of those who have surfed the Web for health information do so just a few times a year, but nearly four in ten (39%) do so at least once a month.
"The Internet isn't just about fun and games for young people anymore," said Victoria Rideout, Vice President and Director of the Program for the Study of Entertainment Media and Health at the Kaiser Family Foundation. "We need to pay attention to the quality and reliability of the health information reaching this important audience through the Internet."
The survey found that half (50%) of all online youth have searched the Web for information on specific diseases such as cancer or diabetes. Sensitive, youth-oriented topics are also popular: about four in ten (44%) online youth have turned to the Internet for information about sexual health, including pregnancy, birth control, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, and about one in four have looked up information on weight issues (25%), mental health (23%), drugs and alcohol (23%), and violence (23%).
Almost all young people who have looked for health information on the Internet say that what they find is useful (94%, including 39% who say it is "very useful"), but they remain skeptical about the quality of online health information in general. When asked about a variety of sources, 17% say they trust health information from the Internet "a lot," as compared to 85% for doctors, 68% for parents, and 30% for the television news. And although a large majority of young people (73%) say that knowing who produced health information is very important to them, only 29% of those who looked up health information online checked the source the last time they conducted a search.
The survey also found that most young people (82%) identify confidentiality as "very important" when looking for health information. Most also feel the Internet offers that confidentiality: three out of four (76%) agree that the Web is good because they can look things up without anybody knowing it. At the same time, a sizable minority are concerned about privacy issues, such as having to use a computer where people can see what they're doing (38%) or worrying that computers might keep track of what they do online (40%).
"The confidentiality of the Internet makes it an especially appealing destination for young people interested in sensitive issues like sex, drugs or depression," Ms. Rideout continued.
Majority of Teens Support Filters, Divided on Effects of Exposure to Online Pornography
In December 2000, Congress passed legislation requiring federally funded schools and libraries to install filtering or blocking technology on all computers with Internet access. About two out of three (63%) 15- to 17-year-olds say they favor this law.
At the same time, nearly half (46%) of 15- to 17-year-olds who have sought health information online say they have been blocked from sites that were not pornographic. Among the topics they were researching when blocked were health issues such as HIV, other STDs, or birth control (15% of those who were blocked), cancer (8%), and information about sexual orientation (2%).
Among teens (ages 15-17) online, 70% say they have accidentally come across pornography on the Web, with just under half (45%) saying they were upset by the experience. While a majority in this age group (57%) believes that being exposed to online pornography could have a serious impact on those under 18, a sizable minority (41%) says such exposure "is no big deal."
Nearly All Teens Have Been Online, But Race and Class Still Factors in Access
The survey found that 90% of teens and young adults have ever gone online, and that half (49%) of those online plug in once a day or more. Three out of four young people (74%) have access at home, and nearly one in three (31%) has access from their own bedroom.
While Internet use among youth is now widespread, differences in access across racial and socio-economic lines still exist. For example, one in four Hispanic youths has never gone online, compared to just 6% of white youth and 13% of African American youth. Eighty percent of all white respondents have Internet access from home, compared to 66% of African Americans and 55% of Hispanics. Socio-economic disparities also persist: 85% of youth from self-defined working class or lower class backgrounds have been online, compared with 91% of middle class and 93% of upper and upper-middle class youth.
Survey Methodology: Generation Rx.com is a nationally representative, random sample telephone survey of 1,209 young people ages 15-24. The survey was designed and analyzed by the Kaiser Family Foundation in consultation with International Communications Research (ICR). Fieldwork was conducted by ICR September 24 - October 31, 2001. The margin of error for the total sample is plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.
Additional copies of the report, Generation Rx.com: How Young People Use the Internet for Health Information (Pub #3202) are available free online at http://www.kff.org, or by calling the Kaiser Family Foundation's publication request line at 1-800-656-4533.
The Kaiser Family Foundation is an independent, national health philanthropy dedicated to providing information and analysis on health issues to policymakers, the media, and the general public. The Foundation is not associated with Kaiser Permanente or Kaiser Industries.
SOURCE Henry Kaiser Family Foundation Web Site: http://www.kff.org
011211
PR011215
Copyright © 2001 - PRNewswire. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through PRNewswire, Permissions, 810 Seventh Ave., 32nd Floor, New York, NY 10019 http://www.PRNewswire.com.
AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, iMetrikus, Inc., the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2001. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2001. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .