The consequences of electronic violence for children can be more severe than face-to-face violence, experts said at an online conference held in Croatia on Tuesday on the occasion of Safer Internet Day, observed on February 9.

The more time children spend online, the more likely it is they will be exposed to internet violence, said the Children Ombudswoman, Helenca Pirnat-Dragicevic, warning also of a rapid increase in cases of internet and video game addiction.

Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced children to spend more time in front of screens, with some surveys showing they spend as much as six hours a day online.

One in four children in Croatia exposed to cyber-bullying

Pirnat-Dragicevic told the online conference that every one in four children in the country was exposed to cyber-bullying.

She also warned that the police are receiving more and more reports about the violation of children’s rights on the Internet and mobile phones, calling on raising awareness of both the benefits and dangers stemming from the virtual world.

She urged all stakeholders including families, schools, social welfare services, healthcare services, and judicial bodies in efforts to safeguard children on the Internet.

Nearly a third of children aged 9-17 have seen inappropriate content online

CARNET, an institution operating within the Education Ministry in the field of information and communication technology and its application in education, has helped in the implementation of the EU Kids Online survey, which shows that the majority of children in 19 European countries report using their smartphones ‘daily’ or ‘almost all the time.’

Svan Hlaca, an expert from CARNET, told the conference that three quarters of children in Croatia used the Internet on a daily basis.

During the EU Kids Online 2020 survey, 1,017 Croatian children, aged between nine and 17, were interviewed.

The findings show that 30 percent of the respondents have been exposed to inappropriate content.

“Thirty per cent of children aged 9 to 17 have seen sexual content online. Among them, over two-thirds have seen sexual photos or films with nudity on the internet in the past year, despite having no intention of seeing such content, while almost a fifth have seen such content intentionally,” the survey said.

“Almost every third child between the ages of 9 and 17 communicated online with someone they did not know personally. There are more boys (34%) than girls (27%) among this group, with 50% in the 15–17 age group. Only 13% of parents knew that their child had had contact on the internet with someone they did not know face-to-face; 14% met with someone they had communicated with online,” according to the survey.