Internet is consubstantial with the social development and wellbeing of individuals and communities.1 In the everyday lives of boys and girls, the Internet is beginning to have an effect on the relationship between children and their parents and the role of schools in socialization,2 given that it has become an essential tool for gathering information, communicating, doing schoolwork, having fun and engaging in social media.3

There are currently more than 13 million family homes in Spain with Internet access, i.e. 86.4% of homes. Among children (10 to 15 years old) a high percentage of them (95.1%) use these technologies a great deal, to the extent that computer use can be considered almost universal, whilst 93.6% of them use the Internet regularly.4 According to data from the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, in 2016/2017 school year, the 60,4% of primary public schools had an Internet connection. Andalusia was one of the pioneer regions in Spain in terms of establishing safety and risk-prevention measures for Internet use and for promoting the use of information and communications technologies (ICT) in educational processes. These measures are within the framework of what is known as the Andalusia Information Society Plan 2007-2010.5 Among the actions launched was the Schools ICT 2.0 program, which gives pupils in the third cycle of primary education (10-12 years old) free access to a computer for doing their schoolwork. The program likewise promotes the regular use of numerous digital resources in the classroom (digital blackboards, projectors, etc.).

The importance of computer literacy is acknowledged in the public health sphere,6,7 where it is understood as the outcome of managing the cognitive and social skills which determine the capacity of each person to access, understand and use information which helps them stay healthy.8 Placing quality, credible resources which are positive factors for health and wellbeing on Internet spaces used by minors is crucial for promoting health.9,10

Issues with the Internet can be described through three prisms: content, contact and conduct, referring to children as receivers of inappropriate content via the Internet, inappropriate contact with adults, and conduct as the victims or perpetrators of activities by means of peer-to-peer group exchanges.11,12 These perspectives connect positively with the six action-oriented “c's” set out by Bers13 in the Positive Technological Development model: community-building, content-creation, communication, conduct, collaboration and creativity. This positive trend, closely linked with the salutogenic focus of health promotion,14 and justifies exploring the viewpoints of childhood in relation to the assessment of the Internet made by children, their teachers and families as an environment which promotes health and wellbeing.15

Assets for health and wellbeing are the factors or resources at individual or community level which can generate wellbeing.16 The Internet can generate these assets for the everyday lives of children and their parents.17,18 To determine what these assets are, the opportunities and advantages offered by using ICT and the Internet as a health asset must be examined.19,20 The scientific literature has been promoting the idea that health and quality of life are best perceived by individuals who, from a very early age, state that they have more health assets, developing their intellectual and emotional potential and making use of the resources they have at hand.21 The assets model (health resources) thus offers opportunities during childhood to surf (live and develop) the Internet in a salutogenic manner, with the emphasis on the map of solutions rather than on the map of problems, thinking about what generates health and makes it easier to be healthy.22

Along similar lines of research, the notion of wellbeing has been particularly associated with the possibilities for communication and entertainment offered by the Internet.20 It has been shown in the field of public health that perception of health and quality of life are strongly affected by a sense of the social, contributing to the formation of networks and the development of social capital.23

From this perspective, families and schools play a key role in children's digital literacy, for example by enhancing access to health content and information search strategies. Studies in this field, which have focused on understanding the direction taken on by such processes contributing to the development of skills for eHealth literacy self-management and control, remain limited. All of this flags up the need to study, in greater depth and in different contexts, the potential of technologies for positive childhood development.2 The aim of this paper is to explore the views of the Internet in childhood, identifying both health assets and risks. To do this, the ideas commonly found in the discourse of parents and children are described. These ideas are complemented by the contributions of teachers in direct contact with these parents and pupils, and enables Internet use to be understood from the assets model.

This research was undertaken in state primary schools in Andalusia, southern Spain. The study was carried out a qualitative design based on focus groups made up of children and parents between January and June 2012. We also interviewed to schoolteachers based on open questions using LimeSurvey.

Sampling

The research team conducted its search for participants via independent networks in order to give greater external validity to the process and reduce bias in the selection of sample units. Finally, using a non-probabilistic and intentional sample, according to theoretical sampling based on typical and homogenous cases, fifth-year primary school classes were selected from eight primary schools; they were part of a representative sample of schools included in a quantitative study carried out in parallel by the same research team. Specifically, recruitment was as follows: pupils aged 10 and 11 years old, fathers and mothers of kids in the schools selected, and teachers in the schools selected. The classrooms themselves were selected on the basis of four inclusion criteria: 1) they were in state schools; 2) they were included in the regional ICT program for schools; 3) they were located in eastern or western Andalusia; and 4) they were schools in rural or urban locations. In the case of criteria (3) and (4), these were not considered in order to establish comparisons in the analysis phase, but rather to maximize the opportunity for exploring different perspectives of the study object. Finally, using these criteria, the segmentation strategy was created involving 114 individuals: 64 pupils (33 girls and 31 boys), 28 parents (18 mothers and 10 fathers), and 22 teachers (14 women and 8 men) that belong to the study classrooms (Fig. 1).

Figure 1.

Sample. Childhood, families and teachers.

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The findings of this study are presented following the theoretical model of categories which emerged during the analysis (Fig. 2). This theoretical model synthesizes the elements which were considered the main health assets of the Internet for childhood wellbeing, fundamentally described in terms of resources and skills. In order better to understand the study object, considerations regarding assets have also been linked to the risks identified by the children and parents participating in this study. The opinions of teachers as regards specific relevant areas of results have also been included to provide a comparison between children's and parents’ views.

Figure 2.

Emerging model.

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This study was designed to analyze the relationship between the Internet and health assets by means of a qualitative research method enabling the views of parents, children and teachers to be triangulated.

Our findings suggest two predominant positions: 1) parents tend to relate the Internet with an impoverishment of interpersonal relationships and lifestyle risks, since they feel that it leads to children doing fewer physical, sports or play activities and engaging in less face-to-face interaction; and 2) children point out the numerous possibilities offered by the Internet for interacting with others, playing, learning, communicating and having fun. The narratives reveal that the opinions of both can be situated on different levels. Whilst the children consulted repeatedly describe topics relating to the wellbeing assets provided by the Internet and parents emphasize its risks, teachers have a combined view of Internet risks/benefits for wellbeing. The children in the study refer positively to the idea of health by describing healthy habits or being able to share experiences in their interpersonal relationships, whilst family discourse tends to define the idea of health and wellbeing as basically being the absence of illness. This dichotomy could be considered to reflect the notion of health being promoted, more strongly imbued with the salutogenic approach in the case of children.25

The findings of this study should be understood in the light of its constraints. For a qualitative design, this study had a large sample size. Nevertheless, the sample can be considered as biased towards schools with an interest in improving Internet use for children; in effect, the design limited the sample universe to state schools enrolled in a regional ICT program. To reduce possible bias and misinterpretation of the collected information, data was jointly coded and categorized by two researchers. Furthermore, findings were discussed with the research team to improve data accuracy. The two mixed groups were suggested by the teachers; however, the discourse between parents and children was not very productive given the heterogeneity of the profiles. This research also considered the viewpoints of teachers, but their ideas were mainly used as a way of triangulating the analysis process and for enhanced understanding of the educational context of the families and children involved in the research. On the other hand, it was not possible to perform the fieldwork from an approach that would allow us to collect additional evidence and analyze the findings taking into account the influence of gender. These aspects allow us to consider new challenges and future lines of research. Thus, extending the fieldwork to other educational contexts, including children and families of ethnic minority groups, would allow us to gather further evidence on the influence of the Internet as a social determinant of health, and its interaction with other axes of inequality.

Over and above the different views and controversies on the concept of health as wellbeing or as the absence of illness, this might also indicate the convergence of perspectives as regards the effects of the Internet on childhood development. This can be summarized into risk prevention or learning to have Internet experiences which create wellbeing.2,26 These perspectives are described as two opposing views of health: assets versus deficits.27 Our results suggest that other studies should examine whether these two ways of understanding social reality are ways of understanding life which depend fundamentally on age or generation, social and family experiences, or things learnt in school. Similarly, future studies also need to explore the nature of Internet socialization processes and which among them could be considered desirable for positive development during childhood by examining the complexity of online friendships, particularly in the construction of concepts such as company or social support, since this could be revealing new ways of understanding and getting along with each other in face-to-face and virtual situations.

The scientific literature has identified the link between spending considerable amounts of time browsing the Internet and exposure to online bullying, or developing addictive behavior, or the onset of interpersonal problems.12 This theme cropped up in our study in the statements made by parents, children and teachers about Internet parenting styles. It is interesting to note that what parents interviewed during this study focused on most and were most concerned about was physical health, particularly sight deterioration, back problems or obesity. Future studies should investigate this area more closely, in connection with what comments revealed as the (secondary) role given to considering mental health promotion and psychosocial wellbeing during childhood, as suggested by other research.28 In addition, our findings showed that some parents agreed with the teachers consulted in advocating a democratic style as a strategy for managing Internet use in the home, based on better dialogue with offspring. However, as regards actually implementing these use strategies, parents’ discourse focused on the need to have constant control measures in place. It would be useful for research projects carried out in different contexts to study the implications of different Internet parenting styles in more depth,29,30 particularly from a gender perspective and its link with health habits, along the lines taken up by the study on Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children.31

For the parents and teachers consulted, the idea of wellbeing was associated with the communication possibilities offered by the Internet. They describe the Internet in positive terms for its contribution to facilitating interpersonal relationships between family members and friends, a view widely agreed with by the children, who drew attention to routine use of the Internet for establishing or maintaining bonds of friendship, being in continuous contact with family members, and connection with classmates when doing schoolwork. In this respect, the literature has demonstrated how perception of health and quality of life is strongly mediated by sense of community, contributing to the creation of social capital.23 In addition, it would be useful to study the implications of different Internet parenting styles in more depth,30 particularly from the rationale of their link with health habits, and the sense of cohesion between parents and children.21

In line with other studies our findings suggest that the digital gap among the study population is not determined by whether or not they have Internet access, but rather by the different levels of knowledge for using the Web.32 This is moreover considered a necessary prior condition for individuals to participate effectively in the decisions they take about their own health in a networked world.8,33 The Internet being considered as a tool for looking after health is revealed in the results of this study, tying in with the debate on the importance of eHealth literacy.34 In this regard, there is a growing trend in the scientific literature which considers that in order to be critical consumers of healthcare, people need to take a more active role in knowledge management.35 It is precisely this focus which makes eHealth literacy a key factor for developing self-management and control skills. And it is something our findings reveal among the children consulted, for whom the opportunities for maintaining or improving their health are fundamentally linked to possibilities for dealing with health services via e-Health applications.

In parallel, our findings flag up the advisability of computer skills being developed in tandem by children and their families. This involves implementing collaborative teaching-learning strategies between parents and children, strengthening interpersonal bonds within the family and encouraging parents to pay more attention to how their children are using the Internet, and what for. This argument was identified both among parents and among the pupils and teachers interviewed during our study. This led to primary schools being considered ideal spaces for promoting this kind of collaborative learning so that it is given greater weight in school curricula,7 and likewise in public health programs to reinforce Internet health assets and literacy from an early age.26 Previous studies have pointed out that exposure to reliable sources of information is a key area for consideration when designing educational programmes, and that it can contribute not only to discovering the risks which exist on the Internet, but also to discovering its riches, assets for health and the opportunities for learning and entertainment it offers to families.18,36 However, as described by Gray et al.,8 greater access to health-related information and resources online does not guarantee the use of quality information. This means that education and public health must get together to strengthen their synergies and work on the direct relationship between level of health literacy and the quality/credibility of information accessed on the Internet.

This study clearly shows that for the children, parents and teachers consulted, the Internet creates assets for childhood health and wellbeing. These assets are linked to learning, playing and fun, and to opportunities for communication and use of multimedia resources. However, parents and children understand the contribution of the Internet to health and wellbeing differently. Whilst parents emphasize the risks (unsafe environment, relationships and quality of information, social networks, physical problems and addiction), the children emphasize the assets offered by the Internet. This could be due to differences in the way each group perceives health. This flags up the need to improve computer literacy to make best use of the health assets (riches) available on the Internet.

Carlos Álvarez-Dardet.

The corresponding author on behalf of the other authors guarantee the accuracy, transparency and honesty of the data and information contained in the study, that no relevant information has been omitted and that all discrepancies between authors have been adequately resolved and described.

M. Hernán-García designed the study. B. Botello-Díaz performed the field work with the support of the team research. J. Marcos-Marcos and M. Hernán-García analyzed the data and wrote the first draft of the paper with input from all authors. M. Hernán-García, P. Simón-Lorda, E. Gil García reviewed the article, and M. Hernán-García, J. Marcos-Marcos, B. Botello-Díaz, P. Simón-Lorda, E. Gil García approved the final version.