Internet Helps Fathers & Kids Stay In Touch.

According to a recent survey conducted on behalf of Optimum Online, by Harris Interactive®, a significant number of dads — particularly those 55 years and older — are using the Internet to help them keep in touch with their children. As busy families strive to stay connected despite hectic schedules, job and school demands as well as geographic separation, reliable, high-speed access to e-mail and the Web is changing the way people communicate.

In the national online survey of nearly 600 fathers, conducted on May 28-30, 2003, sixty-six percent of surveyed dads 55 years and older (182 respondents) said that the Internet has improved overall communication with their children. In particular, sixty-one percent of them cited the convenience of the Internet and the ability to communicate with their children day or night (see below graphic).

“My kids’ schedules are as busy as mine, so if we can chat for a few minutes over the Internet about grades or curfew, I still feel connected to them,” says Ken Longert, a New York father of two teens. “Sure, the really important stuff we talk about face to face, but nothing beats the convenience of high-speed service when my kids are looking for my permission or having a question answered quickly.”

While the most prominent topics discussed are schoolwork and personal relations, one in two (fifty-one percent) dads queried said that jokes are what they send to their kids most frequently.

“Before he got online, my dad and I hardly spoke unless we were in the same room together,” said 20-year-old Maria Bartha, a Fordham University student. “Since he got his high-speed service, he’s always IM-ing me and sending me corny jokes, and I’m usually the one who has to sign off. It’s like, ‘Sorry, dad, I gotta go…’”

Among fathers that selected one of the subjects listed in the survey (school/homework, personal relationships, employment, participation in sports, and allowance/money) when asked what subject matters they find easiest to discuss with their children, thirty-five percent chose schoolwork; followed closely by personal relationships (thirty-one percent). Of all fathers answering the question, fifty-eight percent said, “none of these.”

Among fathers who selected one of six items listed in the survey in response to what they send most often to their children via the Internet (jokes, links to new sites, news articles, new product information, video clips and music files), about half (fifty-one percent) said that jokes are what they send to their kids most frequently. Of all fathers who were asked the same question, fifty-nine percent said “none of these.”

To view chart CLICK above on ‘More Images’.