Study: European kids fearless in downloading

August 11, 2007 Children are well aware of the risks of illegal downloading, at least on a theoretical level, but often minimize or question the illegal character of the act, according to a major European Commission survey released Friday. Other excuses included: the fact that the download is for personal and private purposes; that the Web sites presumably remunerate the artists; that claims of harm inflicted on artists lack credibility; and that DVDs and CDs are simply too expensive for children to afford. The survey also found that children are much more attuned to potential online risks such as security, viruses, identity theft and potential dangerous contact with strangers than parents imagine, and tend to be well aware of the precautions they need to take.

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