Information Analyses of Child Who Needs Protection in Busan

In this study, 1 have analyzed the state of the use of information technology by the at-risk children who are residing in Husan metropolitan area. The ultimate goal of this study is to help ensure the healthy development of the children and improve the quality of their lives in this information-oriented society. For this research, 1 surveyed 183 children living in an institution or a low-income family in Busan metropolitan area. The survey questionnaire was designed to obtain information on the respondents, socio-demographic characteristics, computer-related conditions of the immediate and social environments, patterns of computer and Internet use, their experience and degree of so called, Net-generation syndrome, Internet addiction disorder, changes in social and familial life caused by Internet use, and exposure to pornographic materials. The results show that 95.9 % of at-risk children in Husan own a computer, 60.9 % of those computers being Pentium Ⅲ. A majority of the children (74.9 %) are connected to Internet at a high-speed, using such devices as LAN, ADSL or cables. About seventy-six percent of the children have used a PC and Internet less than two years. In other words, a majority of them have not used those for a long period of time. The main results of the research are summarized in the following: There is a significant difference among at-risk children in terms of experiences in computer and Internet use according to their grade levels. There is a gender difference in the amount of time spent on computer and Internet. Boys spend more time every week on computer and Internet than girls do. There is a significant difference in the pattern of computer and Internet use, according to the type of their risk, and grade level. The so-called 'Net Generation Syndrome' is not serious in this group. A majority of the at-risk children think that Internet is more interesting than TV. They hardly shop on Internet, and they don think the advertisements on Internet are a serious problem. Also, unlike many people assumptions, their desire to communicate through on-line chatting was very low. They do not tend to buy computer game programs, and Internet Addiction Disorder was not pronounced among them. The at-risk children rarely had an exposure to pornographic materials in the cyber space. However, the exposure was more frequent for institutionalized children than children in low-income families. These results point to a need for a policy to improve the welfare of at-risk children and guarantee their right to information.

요보호아동의 정보화 실태 분석: 부산지역을 중심으로