European Youth on Illegal File-Sharing: ‘Music Artists Don’t Need My Money!’

European Commission’s “Safer Internet for Children” study details how children are aware of the risks of illegal file-sharing and how they justify it.

The European Commission’s Directorate-General Information Society and Media has commissioned a qualitative study on the subject of “Safer Internet for Children.”

This study covers 29 countries, the 27 Member States, as well as Iceland and Norway, and involves boys and girls in age groups 9 to 10 and 12 to 14 whom all have the possibility to access and use the internet at least once per month.

The goal is to improve knowledge of internet and mobile phone usage of children as well as their online behavior and perceptions of risk and safety that are associated with it, all with the purpose in mind of creating an overall “Safer Internet Programme.”

Chapter IV of the study is what details the participant’s thoughts on illegal downloading. It concludes that “In the vast majority of cases, across all countries, children know that most of the downloads are illegal, but they minimize, deny or justify the practice.” In fact, for the very large majority of the study’s participants, there is a considerable “feeling of impunity” and, in a way, the conviction of a form of “legitimacy”, if not legality, in downloading. In many of their minds, whether or not it is “illegal” is not always clear. .

From the study:

• “Everyone does it”, the mass nature of the behavior “putting it in the clear” to some degree (“why not me, too?”) but also making the sanction very difficult and not very credible. Moreover, the example set by parents (who themselves often like downloading things) constitutes, in the children’s eyes, an implicit form of authorisation.
• The download is for personal and private purposes, and therefore less serious than systematic recording for fraudulent resale.
• The websites are assumed to remunerate the artists.
• The argument of the harm inflicted on artists is not very admissible and not very credible.
• CDs and DVD are too expensive, and most children cannot afford them.
  “It’s illegal, but it does not look like it is illegal” (Boys group, 12-14 years, Denmark)
  “But I do not understand that it is illegal” (Girls group, 9-10 years, Belgium)
  “It is wrong but not our fault” (Girls group, 12-14 years, Belgium)
  “Downloading is illegal, it is not punishable whereas sharing the files is punishable” (Boys
  group, 12-14 years, Finland)
  “Dad does it all the time” (Girls group, 12-14 years, Norway)
  “People download, but if is just for themselves, it is less serious than downloading for burning
  and reselling” (Boys group, 12-14 years, France)
  “I don’t really feel guilty. It wouldn’t be on the Internet if it was like really illegal, they
  wouldn’t have it there” (Boys group, 12-14 years, United-Kingdom)
  “They have a lot of money ! They don’t need my money” (Boys group, 12-14 years, Czech
  Republic)
  “I really don’t care, it’s not my problem. Singers and actors are rich enough” (All groups,
  Italy)
  “We pay because we are spending megabits !” (Boys group, 12-14 years, Portugal)

Moreover, only a minority of the study’s participants said they were aware of the harm created by illegal file-sharing and the “immorality” of this behavior. Almost all of them even stated they will continue to “carry on downloading.” and do not see themselves “refraining from doing it”(take that RIAA).

One bit of good news for the the MPAA and RIAA though is that some study participants did suggest “clearer rules” were in order, suggesting the possibility of following, them, and that there was also the chance that they be inclined to make a “modest payment” in order to download content online.

At the end of the day, the study found that lawsuits and other legal threats were not the biggest deterrent against illegal file-sharing, but instead was the risk of downloading a virus.

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