Şcoala Gimnazială ou ‘20 april’ Acipayam Anadolu Konstantinoupoleos

“Dimitrie A. Sturdza” Iaşi Imam Hatip Lisesi Gymnazium

Paula Brăescu Cosmin Dorcu Gabriel Moisii

Andreea Dimitriu Ionela Ene Gabriela Popa
Daniela Dorcu Elena Mocanu Camelia Vraciu

ICT between
necessity and responsibility
A guide for the parents, grandparents and not only ...

Project Happy, healthy and creative pupils across borders is financed by the European Union's
Erasmus Plus programme. The sole responsibility of this publication lies with the author. The
European Union is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained
therein.
 CONTENT

Introduction …………………………………………………………………. 59

Chapter I What do students and parents say about ICT ?..................... 61

Chapter II Some undesired Effects of Using Technology in Excess and

Simple Methods for Limiting them…………………………. 69

1.1 Undesirable effects of using technology in excess at a physical

level……………………………………………………………. 69
1.2 A few simple methods of limiting the undesired effects of
using technology in excess …………………………………… 70
2. Unwanted mental and behavioral effects of the excessive use
of ICT………………………………………………………….. 78

Chapter III How can I help my child to use wisely the new
technologies?.............................................................................. 82
1. Some usefool tools that exist on the Romanian software
market………………………………………………………….. 82
2. “Stand up, it's enough!”- an original tool……………………… 102

Instead of an ending… ………………………………………………………….. 106

Annex 1 Questionnaire for students…………………………………... 107

Annex 2 Questionnaire for the parents……………………………….. 109

Bibliography ………………………………………………………………… 111

 Introducer
Introduction
e
59

The idea of writing this guide came to me all of a sudden during the implementation of
the project: „Happy, Healthy and Creative Children Abroad”, project sponsored by the
European Union through the Programme Erasmus Plus and which is about to be implemented
during September 2014 – September 2016 by Şcoala Gimnaziala „D.A. Sturdza” Iași
Romania, together with its 3 partner schools from Bulgaria (ou '20 april') Cyprus
(Konstantinoupoleos Gymnasium) and Turkey (Acipayam Anadolu Imam Hatip
Lisesi).
In my position, that of an educator and as a consequence of my daily interactions with
my students, I noticed that the new technologies, we will refer to using the integrating paradigm
ICT (Information and Communications Technologies), exercise a particular attraction on both
young and elder students. The actual european strategies (European Comission, 2010)
encourage this attraction and, moreover, promotes the use of the new technologies in
various fields, either at a national or at an international level.
My direct observation demonstrates that either at home or at school, the
activities in which students make use of the new technologies, seem to them less boring
and they show interest for them a longer period of time than usual. Besides, actually, the
quality of education indisputably depends on both the new technologies and the
students' access to a superior qualitative information amount (European Comission,
2010). Moreover, 86% of the actual teachers admit that their students are more attentive
and motivated when, during the teaching part of the lesson, both the PCs and the internet
are used (Comission of the European Communities, 2008). For this reason, teachers all
over the world are encouraged to integrate more and more widely the new technologies
during their daily teaching – learning process (Council, 2009).
Beyond the unquestionable benefits they provide, throughout time I also
discovered some adverse effects of the long term and thoughtless use of the new
technologies. More and more researchers either local (Gheorghe, 2006), or international
(Young, 2004; Guan et al.), point out these unwanted effects, such as the children' s lack
of interest in communicating with others of the same age, their obvious lack of
involvement in communitary or sportive activities, eye and/or vertebral column
problems, attention deficit disorder, so on. For this reason, the most pertinent
comparison which comes to my mind is that with ...sweets. Sweets are attractive, they do
create a momentary good condition, but a thoughtful overuse of them and in large
amounts, leads certainly and irreversibly towards... diabetes !
How to warn our children upon the existing danger of this metaphorical diabetes
has been a continuing concern of all the parties focused on the promotion of a healthy
lifestyle for all the children everywhere.
 Introducer
e 60

In the first chapter, Paula Brăescu, Andreea Dimitriu and Elena Mocanu will
supply information upon the way in which both parents and students relate to the new
actual technologies. To write this chapter, a questionnaire was submitted in the
schools involved in the project, to 260 students (100 students from Romania, 100
students from Turkey, 60 students from Bulgaria) and parents too (54 parents from
Romania, 100 parents from Turkey and 40 parents from Bulgaria). Our partner from
Cyprus faced the impossibility of submitting the present questionnaire because this
activity was denied the Ministry of Education approval from the territorry of Cyprus.
Also the quantitative data were filled in with the qualitative data resulting from the
students' essays analysis, essays written by the students in the 4 partner schools.
In the second chapter, Daniela Dorcu, Gabriela Popa and Camelia Vraciu will
present the unwanted effects of the overuse of the new technologies and also simple
and handy ways to fight them. This chapter invites parents to a tough analysis of the
most obvious effects of the new technologies overuse and it also helps them become
familiar with the advisory opinions of specialists in different fields of knowledge.
In the last chapter simple instruments will be presented that parents,
grandparents or any other person responsible for the monitoring of their children's
activity can use in order to help them have a healthy lifestyle. This would enable the
latter to enjoy the correct use of both the new technologies and also different other
activities, ensuring the children a harmonious development. One of the strong points
of this guide is the presentation of an original instrument, that was created by Cosmin
Dorcu (a student in the Faculty of Computer Science within The „Gheorghe Asachi”
Technical University in Iasi). The device can be easily used by all the parents
intending to wisely and efficiently limit the use of the PC by their children.
The profession of a parent is not an easy one, and parents see themselves
obliged to keep pace with the informational bombardment specific to the modern
society (Vlăsceanu, 2002) in order to offer a superior qualitative, coherent and
efficient support to their children, whose education they feel responsible for. This
guide comes in support of all the people who want to help the children become
happier, more creative and healthier in a world governed by the new technologies.

Paula Brăescu,
Manager of the project „Happy, healthy and creative children abroad”
 Introducere
Chapter I
Introducer
e
61
What do students and parents say about ICT ?
Authors: Paula Brăescu, Andreea Dimitriu and Elena Mocanu
New technologies cannot be ignored as we are meeting them everywhere,
both in the cities and at countryside, in rich or poor families, with or without children.
According to The National Institute of Statistics (The National Institute of Statistics,
2014), more than half (54.4%) of the households in Romania have access to the
Internet network at home, with a pronounced share in urban areas (70.9%), and most
of the people (84.7%) use a PC to access the Internet from home.
Trying to understand what new technologies mean to the students and parents
in the schools involved in the ongoing project „Happy, healthy and creative pupils
across borders” and in order to discover the best message this guide is trying to
address to people, we submitted a questionnaire developed by our colleagues Dana
Dorcu and Andreea Dimitriu and had it filled by 60 students and 40 parents from
Bulgaria, 100 students and 54 parents from Romania and 100 students and 100
parents from Turkey.
On the other hand, so as not to limit our little research to the abundant
information to be found in the usual existing profile reports, both in Romania and in
other countries, we asked our students to write an essay entitled The PC – a tool or a
friend? Every partner provided for analysis 2 or 3 representative essays. Thus, 10
essays developed by 10 students from Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Cyprus formed
the basis for the qualitative analysis of this study. Further on, without intending to
illustrate in extenso the results of this miniresearch, we will present a few key –
elements revealed by the analysis of both the qualitative and the quantitative data we
collected.
What does the PC mean to our students? Many of them offered a balanced
image concerning the use of the PC and underlined the idea that they were aware of
both the positive and the negative aspects appearing as a consequence of its overuse.
In continuation, we will present four examples for you, offered by students from
Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Cyprus.

The PC – a tool or a friend?

In the past, PCs were totally different from what they are nowadays. People
were looking for the needed information in libraries and books. Today, most of them
are looking for this information on the Internet.
To me the computer is a friend. It helps me with my homework, it helps me find
information easily, make new friends, listen to my favourite music or watch the
films I like.
 Introducere
Introducer
e
62

But we must know that too much time spent in front of the computer gives us
backaches or damages our sight. That is why we must wear glasses. I think 2 – 3 hours a
day spent in front of the computer are not harmful to me.
The computer can be our friend in the same way as it can become our enemy. It all
depends on us. We must be able to use it wisely.
(G.A., student, 13 years, Bulgaria)

The PC – a tool

I see the PC as a friend, for it helps you get information more easily via Internet for
various projects, you can listen to music, you can watch films. Although it is a tool
„helping us” in need, the computer is not always sure for us and, that's why, in some
situations, I think this is only an object and not a friend, an object which can create
addiction and this is not a good thing. The PC helps us with our homework and projects,
but it is not a speaking human being or somebody who could be our friend and,
consequently it must be treated as such. Any child must have real friends and in the
situation in which the computer were his unique friend, this would mean that somewhere
there is a problem. Staying too mch in front of the computer can damage your sight, you
can become obese, and in some situations you can become even an uncommunicative
and antisocial person.
When a child is not supervised while using the computer, he or she can meet in the
virtual environment, persons with bad intentions to whom he or she can offer important
personal details, such as his name, his address, information about his parents and many
others. An unattended child can log himself/herself to sites where different objects are
sold, and can buy, for lack of information, harmful objects. A PC can affect our memory
and then children will be unable to remember more than three words and to manage with
their school tasks. A child can also use a computer in order to solve his Maths problems
and his mind will be no longer used and it will atrophy.
The discovery of the PC and its development has helped the society in many areas,
but for the children who own one since early childhood and use it in excess, it can be
very harmful.

(S.S., student, 13 years, Romania)

 Introducere 63
Advantages and disadvantages of technology

Technology is undoubtedly an important part of our life. It has an

important role in the industrial development, and computers fully benefit from this.
These benefits are visible in every human activity. Using ICT facilities we can
make video calls over the Internet.
In the medical area, for example, remedies can be found more easily. In education,
the use of the smart tablets and the computers makes teaching and learning easier.

Besides the numerous benefits of technology, there are, of course, disadvantages

too. Some electronic apparata, develop addiction among children. When the time spent
in front of the electronic devices is too long, diseases may occur or worsen. The video
games played on the computer, smart -phone or tablet may have adverse effects on
children. They can create addiction, eye sores and spine problems or delays in
intellectual development.
(F.D., student, 15 years, Turkey)

The s Tsinoglu, 15
years, Cyprus
 64

Computer: Tool or friend

You can use computers for many reasons such as doing your homework more
interesting. I mean that it's usually boring to hear someone just reading his or her
composition. If you want to make it more interesting, a power point presentation or a
video on it is perfect. Some other things that you can do with a computer is to play online
games on the internet, with your friends or alone, and listen to music from the internet,
or even better, to download some songs.
So these are many advantages of using a computer. But computers don't only have
advantages. They also have their disadvantages like when someone can hack your
account, on e-bay for example, and steal your money. Another disadvantage is that by
using a computer you might feel pain in a part of your body like your back, if you don't
adjust your chair to be comfortable for you.
So, the best is to use your computer and internet safely and when necessary.
I hope you enjoyed my composition and also you learnt something from it that you
didn't already know.
(C. P., student, 14 years, Cyprus)

But, beyond this balanced image, offered by most of the students who expressed
their thoughts in the essays analysed by us, the humanised image of the computer is
present too. It miraculously acquires attributes prized by children all over the world,
attributes children always look for and discover in their nearby humans, be they
members of their families, friends, neighbours or mates. Thus, for some children, the
computer becomes both their ideal friend and their impartial confident, forever
available, the one „who” alleviates suffering and never disappoints. A suggestive
example is offered by P.A., a 14 years old student from Romania.

My Computer
It can be considered one when we use it only in order to perform certain tasks,
projects, presentations, etc. Most often the computer is considered as an indispensable
tool.
In my opinion, the computer should not be missing from anybody's life, as it makes
our life easier.
How does our computer make our life easier? It helps us find any information we
need, much more rapidly. We can communicate with far away persons via Internet.
 65

The Computer – A Friend. This is seen as a friend because it doesn't judge us. It
knows how to alleviate our suffering. It is always available for us. It always knows
what we want to find out. It keeps all our secrets in its memory. There is no game it
does not know or it does not want to play with us. Using the computer, we are kept in
touch with all the exisiting new things on earth. In contrast to human friends, the
computer is immortal or can be „ revived” and it will never disappoint us.
In conclusion, any human needs a computer in order to have a better life.
(P.A., student, 14 years, Romania)
This portrait of the perfect friend, but also the „perfect” man – computer
relationship seem to be the favourite themes of some courageous artists, who have
already started warning about the human loneliness danger near their computers. A
suggestive example in this respect is the film Her, winner of several awards in 2014
1 2
(Academy Awards and Golden Globes ) for the best original script. In this film,
whose producer is Spike Jonze, the main character, Theodore Twombly, falls in love
with a computer program named Samantha and he gets to develop an exclusive
relationship with this, spending most of his time speaking or thinking of it...(that
became her).
Even if this is a script belonging to the imaginary world, in the real world, the
alarming signs of human loneliness because of the computer worshipping started
emerging too. Thus, the US correspondent of the english publication The Telegraph,
David Millward (2015), presents the case of the american citizen who officially
demanded to the american justice system to recognize his legitimizing marriage with
his personal computer, argumenting that, as homosexual couples acquired that right,
other sexual minorities, whose member he was too, should enjoy similar rights . As a
result of his requirement, the Court Law of Florida and Utah will have to offer a
pertinent answer to this unusual petitioner. Such examples from the world of art and
from the surrounding reality undeniably underline the danger of dehumanization
and loneliness caused by the computer.

1
For more information go to http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/oscars-2014-results-complete-
list-academy-award-winners/story?id=22740618.
2
For more information go to http://edition.cnn.com/2014/0u
 66

But how much do our students spend in front of the computer? As illustrated by
Picture 1, most of the students in Romania and Turkey do not spend more than two hours
in front of the computer, during one usual schoolday. In Bulgaria, 55% of the students
spend more than three hours in front of the computer during an ordinary schoolday
(11.67% – more than 3 hours and 43.3% without restrictions).

Picture 1 Time spent in front of the computer

On the other hand, a study by the UNICEF (apud Ministry of Youth and Sport,
2015), draws attention on the fact that in Romania, 8 hours of the whole time of 90% of
the teenagers in Romania is dedicated to the tv set, Internet and video games, at the
expense of other activities which may provide them with a harmonious development.
Our survey also underlines that the students' attraction for the use of the computer, the tv
3
set, and the phone during their leisure, is proportional with the age of the students (see
Picture ).

Picture 2 Leisure activities

3
This analysis was completed for the Romanian students only, as not enough data were provided by the
other schools.
 67

Do our students get advice from their parents concerning how much and how to
use the computer and the new technologies or not? The quantitative data from our
survey, reveal that most parents in Romania (94.44%), Turkey (100%) and Bulgaria
(80%) are aware of the existing dangers in surfing the Internet, but less than a half of
them check the way in which their children spend their time in front of the computer.
What do students say? The students' answers (see Picture 3) illustrate that a
4
representative percentage of the parents (49.22% – Romania, 53.33% – Bulgaria and
54% –Turkey) monitor their children's activity on the PC or Internet. In spite all this
there is a quite high percentage of students who attention us that their activity is not
surveyed by the parents (50.78% – Romania, 46.00% – Turkey and 46.67% – Bulgaria),
especially because their parents trust them (29.80% – Romania, 35.00% – Bulgaria and
32% – Turkey).

Picture 3 Do parents control their children's activities on the PC or Internet?

Although most of the students (85.43% – Romania, 93% – Turkey and 55% –
Bulgaria) and parents are aware that there are dangers to which a child is exposed when
he/she spends too much time in front of the computer, the statistic data we collected (see
Picture 2), underline the fact that there is a big probability that, as they advance in age,
the people's leisure favourite activities become those involving the use of the new
technologies, information correlated with the statistic data listed above (apud The
Ministry of Youth and Sport, 2015).

4
In this cathegory (NO), were included also the students who answered that their parents consider that it is
not necessary to control their activity on Internet
 68

This survey shows the discrepancy between theory and practice and the idea
according to which becoming aware of the unwanted effects of the new technologies
overuse by the students, does not necessarily convince them to reduce the time they
spend using the new technologies. Or, to quote a synthetic English proverb... There's
many a slip twixt the cup and the lip.
Our experience as educators and parents shows us that students need
information, but acquiring the habit of a healthy lifestyle is a complex activity including
factual steps to be taken: limitation of the time to use new technologies by the children,
and the offer of a large palette of healthy and attractive alternatives of free time
activities, varrying according to the children's ages, interests and personalities. The
parents are confronted with the difficult duty to limit the time spent by the children in the
company of new technologies and to offer them as many attractive alternatives of free
time fun as possible. Thus chances will increase that new technologies become not,
sooner or later, the exclusive „friends” of our nearby children.
In continuation, we will try to combine the theoretic aspects of the debate to the
practical ones and we will sketch the most famous adverse effects of the ICT overuse,
together with some simple methods to be applied in order to mitigate their excessive use.

Lungu Cătălina, 11
years, Romania
 Chapter II
69
Some undesired Effects of Using Technology in Excess
and Simple Methods for Limiting them

1.1 Undesirable effects of using technology in excess at a physical level

Author: Daniela Dorcu

In the PhD paper, Chele (2010) identifies obesity as a primary negative effect of
using computers in excess. The results of Chele's research (2010) are similar with the
results of the American Academy of Pediatrics (apud Chele, 2010) that underline the
fact that staying for a long period of time in front of the TV screen or of the computer is
an undeniable cause of obesity among children. On the other hand, a research paper
(Zamani et al., 2009) that includes 564 students has underlined that gaming addiction
which requires using a computer or a TV set leads to health issues, anxiety and sleep
deprivation. Moreover, excessive using of a computer or of a TV causes eye conditions.
(Shields et al., 2000).
In order to find out more information from a physician, I talked to Mrs. Alina
Cantemir, an ophthalmologist at Oftaprof Ophthalmologic Clinic in Iaşi, Romania. Mrs.
Cantemir has mentioned that in the last couple of years there has been an increasing
number of young people (children, too) who after an ophthalmologic observation have
been diagnosticated with Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). CVS involves having
sight and eye issues as a result of excessive use of computers (Barthhakur, 2013). How
do we recognise this sydrome? Mrs. Alina Cantemir mentioned that the persons who
were diagnosticated with this syndrome have throat aches, shoulder aches and
backaches associated with ocular discomfort, fatigue, dried eyes, blurry view, sore and
irritated eyes and photophobia.
The talk with the doctor underlined the fact that, generally, children are prone to
develop this syndrome, because they have the capacity to focus on their activity on the
computer on a larger period of time, without having longer breaks than 1-2 hours. In
addition, a child's capacity of adapting makes him/her adopt an unwanted behavior
which increases his/her physical vulnerability: he/she ignores refraction vices, does not
adapt the screen luminosity when is necessary, stays closer to the screen and rarely
blinks. Research papers (Kozeis, N., 2009) have underlined that a child will accept as
normal an image that is blurry, which could be caused by a refraction error, believing
that everybody sees in the same manner. This is why in the case of children, adults are
the only ones who should make sure that working on the computer is done in proper
conditions and respects a certain period of time.
 70

Moreover, Mrs. Daniela Bâlcu, who is a chiropractor at RKMed Center Clinic in

Iaşi, Romania, has pinpointed that an incorrect posture of children while using new
technology, may have negative effects on the skeletal system (spine and hands'
articulations) and on the muscular system.

Lungu Cătălina, 11
years, Romania

1.2 A few simple methods of limiting the undesired effects of using

technology in excess
The talks with Mrs. Alina Cantemir and Daniela Bâlcu and doing research
(Hazarika et al., 2014; Kozeis, 2009; apud Rosenfield, 2011) have helped us formulate
the following recommendations in order to promote a healthy lifestyle among children
who use any type of new technology:

ü Establish from the very beginning a clear time length for using technology!

ü Make sure that once a year your child is checked by an ophthalmologist or an

orthopedist!
 71

ü Make sure that after an hour spent in front of a screen your child benefits of at
least ten minutes break. Be a creative parent! Invite your child over a glass of
lemonade and talk about his/her hobbies.

ü Apply Rule 20-20-20 (Hazarika et al., 2014), especially when the child has to
make a school project and has a lot to work on. Every 20 minutes in front of the
screen teach him/her to have a 20 seconds break when to look in the farthest
corner of the room and to blink twenty times.

ü If he wants to read an e-book, advise him to look for it in the library or among
friends or give him money to buy it from the bookshop! The letters that are seen
on a screen consist of pixels or dots that are brighter in the centre than on the
margins, which create difficulties in focalizing the image, wearing out the eye
(Hazarika et al., 2014).

ü Pay attention to luminosity! Do not allow your child to work in dim light on the
computer! Do not put your computer in front of the window! Do not allow the
screen to reflect a light source! Use protective screens or special lenses.

ü Make sure that there is a proper distance between the child, the screen and the
keyboard! Bilton (apud Rosenfield, 2011) underlines that the proper distances
are: 30 cm for mobile gadgets, 60 cm for computers and 3 m for TVs. The proper
height is obtained if the eye looks at the top edge of the screen under a 15 degrees
angle, and the distance from the child and the screen should be than of an arm
(Kozeis, 2009).

ü Make sure that the mouse is placed at the level where the arm, the wrist and the
palm are aligned.

ü Make sure that the chair is ergonomic and that it has a proper height, so that it
allows the thighs to be parallel with the floor, in a slightly ascendant angle, from
thighs to knees. The child should stay in a straight position, without swinging,
without being tense or stretching in order to use the mouse or the keyboard.
 72

ü If your child works on a laptop, attach a keyboard and a mouse (see Picture 1).
Make sure that he/she does not strike the keyboard and hold the mouse too tight
even if it is an attractive activity.

ü Check if the arms and hands are warm! If the muscles and tendons are exposed to
cold, there is a higher risk that they are affected by exhaustion, especially in
rooms where the air conditioner is used in excess (Anderson, 2007).

ü Involve the child in outdoor activities (games, trips, hill hiking) or in sporting
activities.

Picture 1, The right posture for working on the laptop

Playing, sporting activities and outdoor activities should have a key role in the
child's life, and the attraction towards them should be encouraged by several means, due
to the fact that they have an overwhelming contribution to promoting the health state
and reducing obesity (Milteer et al., 2012). Even if the weather does not allow us to
organize outdoor activities, children can be helped to learn and practice simple
movements (Anderson, 2007) that can diminish the unpleasant effects of staying on a
chair or on a sofa for too long. These simple movements will prevent children from
having backaches and will contribute to maintaining the elasticity of the articulations
and of the muscles (Anderson, 2007).
 73

As it follows I will present ten such movements that can be done by children with
parents, grandparents or friends or when they alone in their study. In order to show these
simple movements I asked the pupils in grade IV B, coordinated by teacher Veronica
Maxim at “Dimitrie A. Sturdza” School in Iaşi, Romania.

a) Relax your back's muscles! (see Picture 2)

è Put your hands behind your scruff and stay in a

correct position so that your spine is straight!
è Maintain this position for 10 seconds, by
contracting your belly and dorsal muscles!
è Repeat it 5 times in a row!

Picture 2 Relax the back's muscles!

b) Get rid of tension and maintain the flexibility of the spine (see Picture 3)

è Initial position: stand up with your legs a bit

distant from one another.
è Take your left arm behind your head and hold your
elbow bent.
è Pull your elbow using your right arm.
è Maintain this position for 10 seconds.
è Repeat the movement on your right side.

Picture 3 Get rid of tension!

 74

c) Relax your neck's and back's muscles (see Picture 4)

è The initial position: sit down, having your back

straight.
è Bent your chest forward slowly until you get to
have your head close to your knees.
è Relax your arms completely, letting them hang,
without you reaching the floor with your hands.
è Get back slowly to the initial position.
è Repeat the movement five times.

Picture 4 Relax your neck's and back's muscleS

d) Leg over leg…(see Picture 5)

è Put your right leg over your left leg.

è Turn your trunk towards the right side.
è Maintain the position for at least 5 seconds.
è Turn towards the opposite side.
è A slight ache that may occur is due to the lack of
physical activity!

Picture 5 Leg over leg

e) The triceps muscle (see Picture 6)

è Bent your right arm until you reach your scruff.

è Pull slowly your right elbow until you feel
tension at the level of the right hand's triceps muscle.
è Maintain the contraction for 10 seconds.
è Repeat the movement for your left arm.

Picture 6 The triceps muscle

 17 75

.
f) Sitting down position…(see Picture 7)

è Maintain your back straight.

è Stretch your right arm upward, near your ear
and your left arm downward, near your leg.
è Stretch your arms and maintain the position
for 10 seconds.
è Repeat the movement, switching the arms.

Picture 7 Sitting down position

g) Having your back straight, on a chair or standing up…

(see Picture 8 and Picture 9)

è Stretch your arms above your head and cross your fingers.
è Point your palms towards the ceiling.
è Repeat the movement with your arms in front of you.
è Maintain the position each time for 10-15 seconds.

Picture 8 Having your back straight (I) Picture 9 Having your back straight (II)
 17 76

h) The shank's muscles (see Picture 10)

è Stand up.
è Support your body in your right leg.
è With your left leg's heel laterally do 8 rotations in
the way the clock hands spin and the other way
round.
è Repeat the movement using your right leg.

Picture 10 The shank's muscles

i) Hands' and arms' articulations (see Picture 11 and Picture 12)

è Initial position: standing up with your back straight and your shoulders
relaxed.
è Stick your hands in front of your chest.
è Your arms are parallel with the floor.
è From this position point your fingers towards the floor.
è Maintain each position for 8 seconds.
è Repeat it at least 5 times.

Picture 11 The hands' and arms' articulations (I) Picture 12 The hands' and arms' articulations (II)
 17 77

j) The elasticity of the hands' articulations (see

Picture 13)

è Cross your fingers.

è Do 10 spins in the way the clock hands spin
and 10 spins the other way round.

Picture 13 The elasticity of the

hands' articulations

I have also tried these movements and I highly recommend them due to the fact
that they are simple, do not require too much time and they do not require you being fit.
Further information about the right posture while using new technologies (computer,
tablet, mobile phone, etc.) can be found on the following links:

è https://www.zooku.ro/blog/pozitia-corecta-la-calculator-birou/
è https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVOHFayG5I8â

In this subchapter I have underlined that using new technologies in excess leads
to obesity, sleep deprivation, throat aches, shoulders and backaches associated with
ocular disconfort, fatigue, dried eyes, sore and irritated eyes and photophobia. Also, I
have presented some simple methods for preventing and/or diminishing these negative
effects that can be put into practice by the ones who want to promote a healthy lifestyle
for their children. As I have mentioned above, because children have a greater capacity
of adapting at wrong working conditions, the adults are the ones who have to make sure
that there are proper working conditions and that the activity involving the use of new
techonologies is limited in time. As it follows there will be presented the negative effects
of using the new techonologies in excess at a mental and behavioural level.
 17
2. Unwanted mental and behavioral effects of the excessive use of ICT 78
Authors: Camelia Vraciu and Gabriela Popa

In the actual universe, in which, in the good old days, children used to play
happily and quietly on the green grass at home, in front of their block, and adult
pensioners were sitting on benches further on, for a chat, supervising them, things have
changed gradually. 60 or 70 years ago, the children's games getting out, with the house
key hanging around their necks, were the ones that helped them make new friends and
fall asleep happily. After a good nice holiday well assorted with famous Romanian
games such as „the hopscotch”, „the elastic band”, „thick milk”, „country – country, we
want soldiers”, „the tzomanap” „hide – and – seek ” and how many others (Tudor, 2015),
that made their heart leap for joy, just like our great story-teller's, Ion Creangǎ, more than
a hundred years ago. But the present days children's games are radically different from
those ones and, besides, governed by new technologies. Nowadays, the tv set, the
nintendo, the tablet, the PC, the mobile phone, the mp 3 and the i-pod replaced almost
entireley all those wonderful childhood games. But how happy do actual games make
the children be? And, especially, how healthy are they for their mind and soul?
Certainly, advanced technologies have been always extensively and endlessly
spoken about: revolutionary and revolutionary – to – be components, really challenging
discoveries and a contemporary world sine qua non necessity. No doubt, progress
cannot be stopped. Without the actual new scientific know – how, our life would be
impossible to imagine. The rapid access to educational information, the ability to
change intellectual or social notification, an amazing openness to knowledge
concerning subjects as health, drugs or sexuality are indisputable actual benefits. But
how often do we, adults, wonder whether these are healthy or not for our children, either
sons or students, and especially if they are excessively used?
The tv set is monopolizing the attention of little children since their early years of
life and exerts a fascinating effect upon the 7 – 8 months baby abandoned by his/her
parents in front of the story – telling miraculous screen (Mihail, 2012). For the moment,
the child is watching it attentively and seems to like the show but, in fact, this hypnotic
concentration upon the bewitched object, will have negative effects on the future
development of the child and teenager that he/she will become. (Mihail, 2012). The long
time a child spends in front of his/her computer brings about the inhibition of the left part
of the brain activity, with a negative impact unpon the right development of his/her
logical and analytical thinking, of his/her writing, reading and speaking (Gheorghe,
2006; Mihail, 2012). But the tv and the computer are not the only negative devices to
affect the mental performances of the child and the future teenager. The computer games
are another obnoxious contemporary fun activity. Besides, the attention deficit of a
child, with or without hyperactivity (ADHD - Attention Deficit with or without
Hyperactivity Disorder) which has begun to be reported lately in our country too,
 17 79

and more than a third of the American children suffer from, has like main risk factors the
excessive time spent in front of the tv or the PC, to which add the chemicalized food,
dominated by E –s and hormones and a sedentary lifestyle of the respective child
(Gheorghe, 2006). An explicit quote regarding this negative impact was extracted from
the article „The Effects of the Tv screen upon a Child's Mind” (Mihail, 2012):

But the most serious are the consequences of the tv watching and computer games upon the front
part of the brain functioning – the prefrontal cortex that differentiate the human from the animal. By
breaking the development of this part, and even by the injury produced by the television watching and the
PC overuse, of this area, essential in the devlopment of the process of consciousness, and that of the
superior mental processes, the viewing process affects the child's capacity of concentration, weakens
his/her motivation and favours instinctive behaviour like bulimia and sexual impulses (Mihail 1, 2012)

Of course, a whole policy in favour of progress will vehemently protest against

all the aforesaid, bringing even many arguments in defense of the new technologies and
the idea that their use at any age is far from being dangerous and is even benefectual. But
numerous sudies in the field demonstrate with compelling arguments, the contrary
(Gheorghe, 2006; Young, 2004; Guan et al., 2009).
Children, and very often, young people too, are exposed to countless
uncontrollable risk factors, once they became the victims of these scientific discoveries
considered groundbreaking. The most remarkable risks identified by the latest studies
(Michaud et al., 2010; Gheorghe, 2006; Young, 2004; Guan et al., 2009) are:
è The difficulty for the young people to make the difference between the real and
virtual information they find on various sites.
è The fact that their personal opinions posted on personal blogs or spaces like
Facebook or Myspace, or the injurious statements made upon other people, can affect
them by the legal proceedings taken against them by the injured party.
è The interchange, on mobile phones of personal pornographic materials, which
can be further on broadcast on common information networks, can affect the loss of their
good personal image.
è Cyberbullying or the Internet harassment, two unhealthy practices of
denigration of certain adolescents from various groups by their schoolmates, will slow
the harmonious mental development of those victims when they become teenagers.

1
The article can be accessed on https://orthomihail.wordpress.com/2012/06/04/efectele-micului-
ecran-asupra-mintii-copilului
 17 80
è Violence is induced by the games available online, reason for which
psychologists advise avoiding exposure of the teenagers younger than 15 – 16 years old
to such „fun”.
è Watching pornographic films by the adolescents can lead to distortion of the
perception about both the couple harmonious relationships and family life.
è .Accepting various dangerous ideologies owing to well formulated „fors”,
offered by proselytizing websites (about anorexia, or others inciting to suicide or the one
condoning drugs or alcohol, etc.)
è Cyberdependence, a phenomenon which has always been dedicated hundreds of
„pro” and „con” pages, but this aspect of the contemporary world seems to be still
impossible to solve. Many young people are mobile phone or Internet addicts. Thus, the
image of an insight train waggon, in which most of the people are entirely concentrated
unpon their PC or speaking on their mobile phone, has for long become an usual view
and surprises no more.
è It inhibates any obvious human ability to socialize, creates anxiety and causes
serious sleep disorders.
èTrafficking in persons and sexual exploitation are risk undertaken by children
developing relationships with unknown persons on social networks.
Maria Nicolau, 15
years, Cyprus

Furthermore, there are frequent cases in which children develop an accute

depression risks (Ju – Yu Yen et al., 2008), present psychosomatic symptoms such as
headaches, abdominal pains or insomnia, behavioral disorders, which very frequently
end in alcohol and drugs addiction. The Internet and PC addict children lose self respect
and are often depressive, anxious and even paranoic (Ju-Yu Yen et al., 2008). Many of
them have social and emotional difficulties, including the fact that they feel alone and
unsafe, both in school and at home. This is why they often develop a pronounced
antisocial behaviour and show difficulty in self adaptation to the general rules of the
groups they are part of, at school or at home.
 17 81

These alarming data must convince us adopt urgent measures in favour of

prevention of the serious effects of childern's and babies' overuse, especially during
their early childhood, of the new technologies. Est modus in rebus2 and this proverb must be
applied without delay. But what are the best methods to be set into practice to fight the
negative ICT effects and how can parents possibly help their children be creative,
healthy and happy, without ignoring ICT, the synonym of a real fascination to them?
One simple such method was offered by the American Academy of Pediatry (apud
Mihail, 2012) recommending that until age two children should be not allowed in front
of tv, and later, when they go to school, the time they spend with new technologies
should not exceed an interval of two hours a day. Moreover, adults have the task of
becoming bosom friends to their children, of encouraging the latter to share with them
both their joys and sorrows and of having a clear representation of how children spend
their free time on the computer (the kind of games they play, the period of time they
spend on social networks, the kind of things they post on them, who their friends are,
etc.). A child must see in his parent, not an intransigent Cerberus, but a person close to
his/her heart, somebody who cares for him/her and who makes a constant effort to know,
appreciate, help and encourage him.
Parents hold the essential role in this process of stimulation of the healthy choices
of free time fun activities, but also the school. Parents and school must offer alternatives
of free time activities stimulating socialization and spending time in the open in sportive
exercises. Although children have the tendency to give friends and playmates rather
than parents, more credit, the role of the watching adult - either parent or educator - in the
child's life, is the most important. At home the parent is a child's main counsellor about
attitudes he/she must adopt about ICT, and at school, via the safe ICT use policy, the
student will be informed upon the benefits and risks of these discoveries. But it is
essentially important that school have a constant concern to create a school environment
founded on classical human relationships, of respect, friendship and mutual help so that
young people may seek as seldom as possible refuge in the „benefits” of these devices.
And here is how, once again, do we come back again to the perfume and hidden charm of
the lovely games of the good old days: „the hopscotch”, „hide – and – seek”, „the
tzomanap”...etc.

2
There is a measure in everything.
 Chapter III
17 82
How can I help my child to use wisely the new
technologies?

1. Some useful tools that exist on the Romanian software market

Authors: Daniela Dorcu, Ionela Ene, Gabriel Moisii

The present discussion can help the child to be aware of the unwanted effects of
using in excess the new technologies, but sometimes this is not enough. There are also
other surveillance methods of the activity done by children, which are more or less
known. In this chapter we propose to present a series of useful tools for parents who
want to help their children to have a healthier lifestyle.
A useful tool for the parents whose children spend a part of the day home alone
and for the parents who want to additionally monitor the computer activity or on any
other mobile device is using parental control software.
Our opinion is that it would be advisable that all the control system's settings be
the result of a talk between the parents and the child in order for the child to understand
its necessity, to have the satisfaction that he was asked for his opinion and to accept
easier other restrictions that he will have regarding the computer use.
On the market there are a lot of free products, paid ones, included or not in an
antivirus program. This is why we consider important the pieces of advice, the
indications and the information referring to parental control presented on www.sigur.info
online materials both for parents and for
site. On this sire one can also find useful online
children regarding the secure use of the virtual environment.
At first these programs seem difficult to use and this is why, as it follows, we will
describe the manner in which the parental control of Windows 8 system is to be used,
mentioning that the steps to be taken are quite similar with the ones for Windows 7
system. The parental control system is installed at the same time with the Windows
Operating System (in each of its versions).

Ø The first step: Access the system from the menu Start/Control panel/User
Accounts (see Picture 1 and Picture 2)
17 83

Picture 1

Picture 2
 17 84

ØThe second step: Click on Family safety and a window like the one in Picture
3 will appear from which you may start to set up the system from Control Pane

Picture 3
Ø The third step: Create a user account (see Picture 4)
Ø The fourth step: Activate the settings from Parental Control.

Picture 4
 17 85

As it follows we will provide an example of settings for Parental Control of a

little girl, Andreea, aged 11, who has afternoon classes, so she has free mornings when
her parents are at work.
Ø Create an account for Andreea as a user, without using an email address,
choosing the second version from a window like the one in Picture 5:

Picture 5
Ø Click Next and a window like the one below will appear (see Picture 6).
Ø Fill in the blanks from the above window. It is recommended that the
password you introduce is an easy one to remember for your child.
Ø Click Next and a window like the one in Picture 7 will appear which
indicates that the process of creating an account under parental control has
finished.
17 86

Picture 6

Picture 7
 17 87

Ø Activate the settings for Parental Control which you, as a parent, consider
necessary by logging in as user Andreea (see Picture 8 and Picture 9).

Picture 8

Picture 9
 17 88
What are the settings that a parent can make?
a) Web filtering (see Picture 10)
By this setting one can control the sites that the child is to have access,
blocking in this way access to pages that have a harmful or inappropriate content for
his age.

Picture 10

The parent can choose one of the two options that he/she has at disposal:
· Web filtering level (see Picture 11) - option by which you can set the restriction
level according to the age.

Picture 11
 17 89

· Allow or block specific sites (see Picture 12) - option by which you can make a
list of sites that will be blocked or that the child will have access to.

Picture 12
b) Time limits (see Picture 13) is the setting that will allow choosing, in two
ways, of the period of time when the child will have access at the computer.

Picture 13
· Set time allowance (see Picture 14) - allows setting the number of hours
when the child can use the computer:
In our example, Andreea has used the computer for 30 minutes per day
(regardless the hour when she does it) and during the weekend for one and a half hour.
· Curfew (see Picture 15) allows selecting the hours when the child has access
on the computer.
 17 90

Picture 14

Picture 15

The blue spaces indicate the hours when the child's account is blocked.
c) Games and Windows store Restrictions (see Picture 16 and Picture 17) -
allows the parent:
· to set the games' rating and applications that the child is going to have access to
according to the age;
· to make a list with the games that the child has access to from the ones that are
installed on the computer.
 17 91

Picture 16

Picture 17

d) App restrictions (see Picture 18) - allows setting restrictions on some

applications by ticking them from a list of programs that the child will have access
to.
At the end of the say or periodically one can see reports of the child's activity
on the computer, by clicking on View activity reports (see Picture 19).
17 92

Picture 18

Picture 19
 17 93

A recent research done in Denmark, Italy, Romania, Great Britain, Belgium,

Ireland, Portugal, Germany and Spain shows that on the one hand, in Romania, the
mobile devices are used by an increasing number of children, and on the other hand that,
most of the time, these children's parents cannot monitor and supervise their activities
on these devices because they are either not aware of the dangers that the children are
exposed to when they use the Internet through their smart phone or because they are not
competent in using mobile Internet (Mascheroni, G., & Cuman, A., 2014).
We believe that at a certain age, this control is good to exist, because in this way
the dangers that the children are exposed to when they use these devices will disappear.
As it follows we will try to describe a program of parental control for mobile
devices. With slight differences, in general all the applications, available for free or paid
have the same steps for installing.
We have chosen to describe a beta version of the free Kasperski parental control
application.

Ø The first step: Copying “Safe Kids” program from the internet and installing
it on the child's computer (see Picture 20).
Ø The second step: Accepting the requests of the program (see Picture 21).

Picture 20 Picture 21
 17 94

Then, the program starts to install itself on the chosen device as we can see in
Pictures 22 and 23.

Picture22 Picture23

Ø The third step: Open the program in order to run the application (see
Picture 24 and Picture 25).

Picture 24 Picture25
 17 95

Ø The fourth step: Accepting the terms and conditions imposed by the
application (see Picture 26)..

Picture 27
Picture 26 Picture 28

Ø The fifth step: Creating an account for the application of Kaspersky's site
for the terminal (see Picture 27 and Picture 28).
Ø The sixth step: Receiving a confirmation of the fact that the application
has been successfully installed on the device (see Picture 29 and Picture 30).

Picture 29 Picture 30
 17 96

Ø The seventh step: Adding the data referring to the supervised child
through this program (see Picture 31 and Picture 32).

Picture 31 Picture 32

This is all! From now on you can monitor your child's activity!

Picture 33
 17 97

We also present you the Romanian version, which is free from Bitdefender.
The steps that you will have to follow are:
1. Install the program from Magazin Play (see Picture 34).

Picture 34
2. Accept the terms and conditions imposed by the software's developer
(see Picture 35).

Picture 35
3. Begin the procedure of installing the program on the device that is going to
be used by the child (see Picture 36).

Picture 36
 17 98

4. Install the program (see Picture 37).

Picture 37

5. After the program was installed on the device (phone or tablet) this can be
accessed (see Picture 38).

Picture 38

6. Because the device will be monitored by the Bitdefender program permanently

it is necessary to declare that we legally own the device (see Picture 39).

Picture 39
 17 99

7. Create a Bitdefender account (see Picture 40).

Picture 40
8. Introduce a valid email address in order to access the Parental Control Program
and a password for the new created account and then confirm, on your email account,
that you have created a Bitdefender account (see Picture 41).

Picture 41
9. Introduce the name of the person who will be using the phone (see Picture 42).

Picture 42
 17 100

10. Fill in the age and gender of the person who will use the phone (see Picture 43).

Picture 43

11. Create an account on the desired device (see Picture 44).

Picture 44

12. From now on the Parental Control Software will take control upon the
phone's settings, starting with blocking the screen and blocking potential threats that
can affect the child by digital means (see Picture 45 and Picture 46).

Picture 45 Picture 46
 17 101

13. In order to complete the installation click Finalizează/Finish (see Picture

47).

Picture 47

14. When the child accesses a program or a link on the Internet that is restricted,
the device automatically sends the parents the activity done by the child (see Picture 48).

Picture 48
 17 102

2. “Stand up, it's enough!”- an original tool

Author: Cosmin Dorcu

Probably many parents use several time a day this request when they consider
that their own child has spent too much time in front of the computer or of their mobile
phone. This is why I thought of giving this suggestive title to an original tool which can
be used by parents who want to supervise their children in a constructive way, limiting
efficiently and in a funny manner the time spent by children in front of the PC.
This tool proposes to use a simple application which, once it was installed, will
limit the time spent by the child in front of the computer, encouraging him to take a break
once in a while.
In other words, the child user who has reached a certain limit of time that has
been negociated with the parent, will be interrupted from the activity that he is doing by
an alert message. In this way, the child will be determined by the intelligent tool to have a
break whose duration can be established by the parent. During the break, the child will
not use the computer. Parents have the occasion to involve their children in the process
of negotiation regarding the duration of time spent in front of the computer, the duration
of the break and also of the content of the alert message.
The alert message introduced in the application is a video done with the help of
the children in grade III A, from “Dimitrie A. Sturdza” School in Iaşi, Romania,
coordinated by teacher Paula Brăescu, The video can be personalized. Each parent can
choose by himself/herself or with the child a suggestive and funny message which
should remind them that they need a break.
What are the steps that have to be followed in order to install this application? As
it follows, I will describe the 5 steps for the adult who is interested in using the creative
tool “Stand up, it's enough!”.

è The first step: The application “Stand up, it's enough!” will be copied on the
user account of the child.
è The second step: Open by double click the application Parental control. (see
Picture 1)
 17 103

Picture1

è The third step: In order to be installed on the child's account, which is

an account with limited rights, the provider's permission will be needed. Open a window
like the one below. Choose Run anyway from these two options. (see Picure 2)

Picture 2
 17 104

è The fourth step: You will reach a window like the one in Pictre 3.

Picture 3
The regular password is 1234. This can be changed by any parent. At the same
time:
· it will be established the duration of using the computer using session time
(minute)
· it will be chosen the break time of the computer (pause time)
è The fifth step: click Start Parental control.
A minute before the time established by the parent for the child's activity in front
of the computer expires, an alert message (see Picture 4) appears on the screen which
offers the child the necessary time to save the important data.

Picture 4
 17 105

During the break a funny video will start automatically. This can be replaced
with another material that must be either a MP4 format or a video one. Replacing the
video is done by deleting the video from the res folder and by copying the new video or
song in the same folder. (see Picture 5 and Picture 6)

Picture 5

Picture 6
The film will appear in a loop during the break and will automatically close when
the break is over. None of the computer's components (mouse, touchpad, keyboard)
should be touched.
The application is available on the following link: http://1drv.ms/1hOuHWk or on
request on CD.
Good luck and be creative!
 17 106

Instead of an ending…

I do not think that the new technologies are good or bad. The way we use them
and especially how much time we dedicate them can lead to positive effects or not. The
new technologies often help us to have access information and to accomplish as soon as
possible important tasks. But I also believe that the time we save can be shared
attentively and given to the ones who need it…to friends, parents, to the ones around us
and not the least to ourselves, in order to become better and more content of what we are
and do. Using the new technologies in excess, besides the undesired effects analyzed in
this guide, does not allow us to enjoy our life, to smile more often to one another and to
be what we have been created to be…people among people and not small robots that
lack creativity, a critical mind and love for life.
This guide has been written in order to be a useful tool for parents, grandparents,
but also for the children nowadays who in a near or faraway future will become parents
too. It contains useful information which needs analysis and integration in our routine in
order to prove its efficiency. It is easy to talk…even by means of a sheet of paper. It is
more difficult to put into practice some of the recommendations that we have promoted
in this guide. But if at the end of your road as a responsible parent you will see a happier
child, a healthier and a more creative one, you will definitely say that you effort has not
been in vain!

Paula Brăescu,
Manager of the project “Happier, Healthier and More Creative Students Across
Borders”
 Annex 1
17 107

Questionnaire for students

We will ask you to answer sincerely the questions in this questionnaire. By it, we
are to obtain qualitative and quantitative information from you for the elaboration of a
guide for good practices, useful to both parents and children. Encircle the fit answer for
you!

1. The modern means of communication and information (PC, smartphone, internet)

are:
a) very useful;
b) useful;
c) less useful;
d) useless.

2. Do you own a unique access – yours only - computer?

a) yes;
b) no, I'm not the only one to use it;
c) I do not have a PC at all.

3. Is the computer you have access to, in your room?

a) yes;
b) no.

4. For what purposes do you use your computer?

a) in order to solve tasks I am given at school;
b) to play games;
c) to socialize (facebook, messenger, others);
d) to see films, listen to music;
e) others.
Name them:.......................................................................................................

5. Do your parents have access to your facebook, mail, skype etc. accounts?
a) yes;
b) no.

6. How many hours do you spend on the computer during an ordinary schoolday?
a) none, except for when I happen to have homework requiring me to get informed on
the internet;
b) less than an hour;
c) 1-2 hours;
d) more than 3 hours;
e) as much as I like.

7) Do you think there are dangers you are exposed to when you spend too much time
in front of the computer?
a) yes;
b) no.
 17 108

8) If your answer to the previous question was yes, which do you think, these
dangers are?
a) it may damage my eyesight;
b) I may become addicted;
c) it may cause deviations of my spine;
d) I am too sedentary;
e) others.
Name
them:...............................................................................................................................
..

9) Do you think there are dangers you are exposed to when you spend too much time
surfing the internet?
a) yes;
b) no.

10) If your answer to the previous question was yes, which do you think, these
dangers are ?
a) I may virus my PC;
b) I may become an addict;
c) I may access sites with a content inappropriate for my age;
d) I may become the victim of ill – intended persons;
e) others.
Name them
.......................................................................................................................

11) Do your parents control your access to the PC and to the Internet?
a) yes;
b) no;
c) they do not consider it necessary.

12) If you answered affirmatively to question no 11, do you know the methods by which
your parents control your way of using the PC and the internet?
a) I do not know;
b) I do.
These are: ................................................................................................................

13) If you answered negatively to question no 11, what do you think are the reasons for
which you are not controlled?
a) my parents have not enough knowledge to operate a computer;
b) my parents do not consider it necessary, as they trust me;
c) my parents think it is a good thing for me to spend much time with the computer, as I
become better informed;
d) they do not care.

14) Name, in order of your favourites, your free – time activties:

........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................
Thank you for your time!
Name and surname: .........................................................................................
Grade :...................
 17 Annex 2
109
Questionnaire for the parents
We will ask you to answer sincerely the questions in this questionnaire. It will
help us get qualitative and quantitative information from you for the elaboration of a
guide for the parents, concerning the use of the ICT by the children. Please, encircle the
fit answer for you!

1. How, do you estimate the level of your knowledge as an ICT user? (PC, smartphone,
internet)
a) very good;
b) good;
c) satisfactory;
d) unsatisfactory.

2. I use a PC and the Internet :

a) daily;
b) weekly;
c) occasionally;
d) never.

3. The reason/Reasons for which I use the computer and the internet is/are:
a) to fulfil my employment tasks;
b) because it is an easier and cheaper means of communication (email, skype, social
networks etc.);
c) for information (newspapers, magazines, lifestyle sites);
d) for access to various films, music, different games;
e) other situations: ..........................................................................................

4) Is the computer your child has access to, in the same room that serves him as a
bedroom?
a) yes;
b) no;
c) my child does not own a computer.

5. For what purposes does your child use the computer?

a) in order to do his school homework;
b) to play games;
c) in order to socialize;
d) to watch films;
e) to surf the internet;
f) others.
Name
them:........................................................................................................................

6. During an ordinary schoolday, how many hours does your child spend on the
computer ?
a) he/she does not spend any, except when he/she has homework needing the use of the
PC or of the internet;
b) one hour at most;
c) two hours at most;
d) as much as he/she likes, he/she has no restrictions.
 17 110
7) Do you think there are dangers your child is exposed to when spending too much time
in front of the computer?
a) yes;
b) no.

8) If your answer to the previous question was yes, what do you think these dangers are?
a) it damages his/her eyesight;
b) he/she may become an addict;
c) it may cause spine deviations;
d) he/she is too sedentary;
e) others;
Name them: ...................................................................................................................

9) Do you think there are dangers your child is exposed to when spending too much time
surfing the internet?

a) yes;
b) no.

10) If your answer to the previous question was yes, what do you think these dangers
are?
a) he/she may virus the computer;
b) he/she may become an addict;
c) he/she may access site-s with a content inappropriate for his/her age;
d) he/she can become the victim of ill – intended persons;
e) others.
Name them: ...............................................................................................................

11) Do you usually supervise yor child while he/she uses the PC and the internet?
a) yes;
b) no, because I do not have enough time to;
c) no, because I do not know how;
d) no, because I do not consider it necessary.

12) In case you answered the previous question affirmatively, please enumerate the
methods you use:
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
13) Do you think you need support for a better survey of the time your child spends on the
computer?
a) yes;
b) no.

14) If you answered the previous question by yes, what is the support you need ?
a) verbal and written information;
b) extra meetings with other parents;
c) programs of limitation of my child's access to the computer;
d) others.
Mention them: ...............................................................................................................
Thank you for your time!
Age: ........... Level of studies: ..................................................................
Sex: ............ Number of children under age: ............
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