Forget TV: Parents Withholding Internet As A Form of Punishment

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A study released by the USC Annenberg Center for the Digital Future shows that parents are valuing the Internet just as much as a form of entertainment as the TV. In the old days, doing something bad would get the TV taken away for a week; now, the results show more parents are taking away the Internet. So much for trying to reason that you’re only going online to study for your test.

Fifty-seven percent of parents said they took Internet surfing rights away as a form of punishment, up from 32 percent in 2000. The good news for kids is that most parents feel that the amount of time their children spend online is appropriate, so they do realize it is (somewhat) of an educational tool. Only half of the people questioned believed their children were watching the appropriate amount of TV. Although parents are realizing that their children are spending less time online than they are with their real friends, it’s only gone up a few percentage points and doesn’t represent the majority of people who took the survey.

If only parents realized what goes on in college, where everyone spends all day watching TV and being online.

More on TIME.com:

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