Research finds that parents need to monitor their children's online activity more closely
New research suggests that parents need to keep a closer watch on their children’s online activity.
According to the findings by privacy specialist Pollab, two thirds (62%) of the 1,020 parents questioned in February were unaware of their child’s online contacts, and half (50%) couldn’t name the person their child chats to most when surfing the net.
The Virtual Parenting Report shows a huge discrepancy between the safety standards that parents typically teach in the real world and those that they allow on the World Wide Web.
Despite the overwhelming majority of parents objecting to their children talking to strangers, only a third (33%) can claim that they are really vigilant when it comes to their child’s online safety, where strangers of any age can interact with young people under the cloak of anonymity.
Two thirds (68%) have no idea what their children discuss with ‘friends’ online, and 43% have little or no knowledge of what exists in terms of photos or personal information that has been posted about their child.
Not only do parents have a lack of knowledge of the amount of information held online about their children, but 28% said they do not supervise their child’s online behaviour at all. Less than one in ten (8%) parents of 9-12 year olds say they sit next to their child online.
Children’s access to the internet poses additional problems, with ever more places for them to surf the net unsupervised; a third (35%) access the internet from personal computers and laptops, 12% from their games consoles and 4% on their mobiles.
Even children as young as nine are gaining access to the internet on their own computers, with one in five (19%) parents of 9-12 year olds admitting their children access the web from their own PCs.
It is hoped that the research will encourage parents to take a keener interest in who their children speak to online.
FemaleFirst: Fiona Haran
Tagged in Parents