Table of contents:

About the author(s):

Description:

In recent years，internet use in China has witnessed rapid development. With a variety of new apps and services online，the internet has a huge impact on minors’ study and life. The continuous monitoring of minors’ internet use thus carries both social values and practical meanings. It is expected that more people could be concerned with and participate in the programs of protection and regulation for minors’ internet use. Internet Use by Minors in China Project，a sub-project of Engineering Net of Chinese Pupil，was initiated in 2006. By Jan. 2020，the research team has completed the tenth national survey，and the Blue Book is a major part of the project results. Based on the latest data（from the tenth national survey），this book（the sixth Blue Book）reports on new conditions and new issues of minors’ internet use，including internet behavior，network cognition，online socialization，cyber lingo，online learning，internet literacy，and so on. It offers topic-specified discussions on hot issues such as cyber culture，AI technology，online courses，gaming and more. In addition，a survey is conducted to see how minors use the internet after the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak. In particular，internet use by minors in Hong Kong，Macao and Taiwan is reported，presenting a full picture of minors’ internet use in the nation for the first time. To diversify the book’s perspectives，a sorting and comparative analysis of the use of the internet and new technology by minors in the United States（2000-2018）is also included.

The main findings by the research team are：1.The gap of network access among minors is narrowing，while the difference between urban and rural areas exhibits new features. 2.Minors have diverse uses of the internet，while becoming more reliant on their phone. For minors，intelligent terminals represent personality and self-expression. 3.Online learning is winning popularity，while its effects and assessments are unsatisfactory. 4.Minors are enjoying more diverse user experiences from mobile apps，while their physical and mental health and addiction problem are of great concern. 5.Minors are discreet and inactive in online expression，socializing mainly with their acquaintances. It is difficult to balance online socialization and privacy protection. 6.Minors prefer cultural products online characterized by diversification and marketisation，but are inclined to be chasing new trends and are irrational. 7.Minors have made progress in internet literacy，though insufficient. 8.Minors have struggled with problems such as internet addiction，information cocoons and cultural pluralism.

The research team has a number of recommendations：1.Minors’ internet use should be understood and respected. It is of great value to narrow the gaps of internet use among minors. 2.Parents should learn more about digital nurturing，building positive online/offline interaction. 3.Protection online and correction mechanism should be refined. It is necessary to combine online and offline activities，in order to prevent internet addiction and overuse. 4.A regulatory system for the protection of minors online should be established，creating a well-functioning online ecology. 5.Participation of various agents and long-term intervention should be involved，to confront negative influences on minors，such as internet addiction，harmful information，privacy intrusion，implicit pornography，over-entertainment，etc.