ABSTRACT
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has spread rapidly in Australia. Mobile phones, which increasingly have advanced capabilities including Internet access, mobile television and multimedia storage, are owned by 22 per cent of Australian children aged 9–11 years and 73 per cent of those aged 12–14 years (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012b), as well as by over 90 per cent of Australians aged 15 years and over (Australian Communications and Media Authority [ACMA], 2010). Nearly 80 per cent of Australian households have access to the Internet and 73 per cent have a broadband Internet connection, ensuring that Internet access is typically reliable and high-speed (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012a). Ninety per cent of Australian children aged 5–14 years (comprising 79 per cent of 5–8 year olds; 96 per cent of 9–11 year olds; and 98 per cent of 12–14 year olds) reported having accessed the Internet during 2011–2012, a significant increase from 79 per cent in 2008–2009 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012b). Approximately 90 per cent of 5–14 year olds have accessed the Internet both from home and from school, with close to 49 per cent accessing the Internet from other places (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012b). Young people often make use of borrowed Internet access (e.g. in friends’ homes), 223commercial access (e.g. cybercafés), public access (e.g. libraries), and mobile device access in areas offering free Wi-Fi (Lim, 2009).
