This factsheet presents findings from a study looking at the strategies New Zealand parents, caregivers and whānau use to mediate their children’s experiences of online risk and harm. 

Key findings:

• Over three-quarters of New Zealand parents, caregivers and whānau said they at least sometimes engaged in most of the active mediation activities measured. The most prevalent parenting behaviour was talking to children about what they do online, and the least was sharing online activities with children, with 91% and 64% respectively doing these activities at least sometimes.
• Parents of younger children were generally more likely to say they often or very often engaged in active mediation behaviours, particularly those aged 9-11 years old.
• In contrast, only one difference was found regarding gender, with girls’ parents being more likely to often talk to their child about what to do if something bothers or upsets them online.
• Similarly, in regard to children’s ethnicity, only a few differences were found. E.g., it was more common for parents of Asian children to frequently share activities with their child on the internet (30%), while those of NZ European/Pākehā children were least likely to do this (21%).