MANY parents lack visibility of the dangers their children are facing online, Kaspersky Lab ZAO said in its new research.
In a statement on November 11, the Russian cyber-security firm said only a quarter (26 percent) use parental-control software to help restrict their kids’ activity online.
“Worryingly, among those parents who haven’t installed parental control features, one in five [21 percent] believe that it is better for children to learn how to use the Internet safely themselves,” Kaspersky Lab said.
The firm said its “Consumer Security Risks Survey 2016 uncovered what parents think about the online world and the challenges they face in protecting their family from threats.”
Kaspersky Lab said its research showed that only a third (37 percent) of parents worry that their children could be exposed to inappropriate or explicit content online.
“Just 36 percent are wary of their kids communicating with dangerous strangers, and 34 percent worry about them becoming a victim of cyber bullying.”
The study also found that not enough parents are taking the required steps to protect their children, with only a third (38 percent) regularly talking to their children about the dangers online and bringing the Internet into family conversation and a quarter (27 percent) regularly checking the Internet history on the browser.
According to Kaspersky Lab, one in five (21 percent) prefer to become a contact within their kids’ social networks.
Parents need to be more aware of the dangers lurking on the Internet. According to the survey, 41 percent of kids were exposed to online threats in the 12-month period leading up to the research. These threats included being exposed to inappropriate content, cyberbullying, dangerous strangers and more.
“Parents need to be more aware of the dangers their children face online. They need to help their kids become more cyber-savvy and put protection methods in place to keep them safe online, as they would in the physical world,” Kaspersky Lab Consumer Business Head Andrei Mochola was quoted in the statement as saying. “You wouldn’t let your children cross the road or talk to strangers on their own, so it’s surprising to see almost a quarter of parents leaving their kids to browse the Internet independently.”