The Internet presents new avenues for building parenting skills in China, a recent survey found.

More than 95 percent of parents would prevent their children from surfing the Web, but more than 70 percent of them admitted gaining parenting knowledge from the Internet.

"The Internet is a double-edged sword for children," said Chen Xiaoxia, director of the children's work department at the All-China Women's Federation, which sponsored the survey.

According to the survey, which was released on Tuesday, the top four most useful Internet channels for parents are WeChat, QQ, school websites and online parenting classes.

The women's federation surveyed parents of primary and middle school students in 28 provinces, including 93 cities and counties. It sent out 10,200 questionnaires and received 9,133 responses.

The survey found that nearly 70 percent of city children used the Internet, while 57.7 percent of rural children used it.

More than 60 percent of parents say their children are better at using the Internet than they are.

"The challenge of the Internet to family education has gone through many changes," said Lu Shizhen, a member of Chinese Family Education Council. "In the past, computers were the biggest problem, but now mobile terminals are involved, such as mobile phones and iPads."

"Parents worried about boys spending too much time on online games in the past. Now girls are facing problems too, such as meeting friends online," she said.

Lu said that parents should be prepared to face complicated challenges in their families.

"Many parents consulted me and hoped to solve problems in simple and direct ways," she said. "But it won't work that way."

The study supported that idea, showing that parents have strong and urgent needs for guidance in parenting skills. More than 30 percent of parents have never received any sort of guidance, the survey found.

The average age of parents who participated in the survey was 37.9. About 56 percent of the participants were from urban areas, with 44 percent from rural areas.

luowangshu@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 12/23/2015 page4)