Nearly one-third polled (29%) said that they helped because the parent was too busy to complete the chore herself. More than 6,000 children aged 8-14 were polled by Stars for Kidz, a market research company. Kids assist their parents with various tasks online, including comparison shopping, banking, taxes, and planning travel, says the release. This is not too surprising, as children are comfortable doing online transactions. In this survey, 77% said they completed them.

The study also looked at what the major online chores involved: Thirty-eight percent of kids sent pictures and emails to relatives, as part of their chores. Thirty-eight percent also found movie showtimes. Thirty-six percent handled invitations and party planning. Thirty-six percent also handled travel, while thirty-five percent got directions for driving. Surprisingly, fourteen percent of kids assisted with income tax duties online.

However, even though parents entrust kids with helping them out online, kids have proven they are not always trustworthy when going online for themselves: "One-quarter of the kids we surveyed admitted they have been 'busted' for doing something wrong on the Internet, and still one-fifth (20%) of 8-14 year olds have their own email account that they are able to keep secret from their parents," said Adele Schwartz, Ed.D., Research Director at Stars for Kidz, in the press release.

This report, titled "Surfin' on Mom's Turf: Cyber Chillin' With 8-14 Year-Olds," will be officially presented at the Kid Power 2007 convention in Florida from May 20th to May 24th. To buy this report, go to www.StarsforKidz.com or call 973-728-1785.

Until next time !