Parents are increasingly concerned about their children's safety online

 

55 percent of all parents "keep an eye" on their offspring by observing their social network profiles.


Munich, July 28, 2011 - More than half of all parents follow their children's online activities. This was the result of a study carried out by BullGuard in the spring of 2011. The survey of 2.000 Internet users across the UK found that 55 percent of parents "keep an eye" on their son or daughter by watching their social network profiles. Another five percent said that "if they knew how it works, they would do this". Even if this does not always suit the youngsters, it is sensible in addition to adequate education, because this is where the greatest dangers to personal data lurk. Parents are increasingly concerned about their children's safety online

Four out of ten parents admitted that they regularly read their children's status updates on social networks. 39 percent use Facebook's "wall" to see who is leaving messages for their children, and 29 percent look through tagged pictures. Why are you doing this? More than a third admit being overprotective, but an amazing 24 percent believe that the only way they can find out is what their child is up to. More than a third of parents "sniff" because they want to know what their child is like.

Contact undesirable
11 percent of parents said in the study that they opened a Facebook account that only serves the purpose of keeping track of their own children. The offspring are understandably not enthusiastic about this and do not want to be monitored: 16 percent of the parents made a "friendship request" to their child, but this was rejected in 30 percent of the cases. But even if the "little ones" dare to do it - they shouldn't feel too safe: According to the survey, 13 percent of the "rejected" parents log into a friend's user account in order to keep an eye on their children.

Parental control beyond social networks
But not only social networks are carefully scrutinized by concerned parents. 76 percent said they check their internet browser history to make sure their children are not visiting inappropriate websites. 21 percent check the instant messaging history and 23 percent dig through the outbox in e-mail accounts. While 14 percent say they are just curious, 41 percent are concerned that their computer could be infected by a virus or malware if their child visits unsafe sites or logs on to an untrustworthy service.

Legitimate concerns
"Many parents use the information trails their children leave on the Internet to control them," says Claus Villumsen, security expert at BullGuard. "The high numbers are surprising at first, but to a certain extent understandable: the dangers on the Internet are manifold. An unsuspecting or even overly trusting online user quickly becomes easy prey for criminals. Therefore, the concerns of many parents can be seen as justified but doesn't have to approve of it. "

Protection against malware or other viruses
Parents who are concerned that a child could get infected by malware or other viruses by opening an email, running an application, or downloading software that could attack their computer are best off Arm yourself against the latest threats with regularly updated security software. "Anti-phishing protection can help warn users when they visit websites or open e-mails that may contain suspicious material," says Villumsen. "Nowadays, educating children about the threats they can encounter online is essential. Making sure that the right security applications are in place to provide that extra layer of protection is just as important."

The survey ran in the UK from April 28th to May 9th 2011 and was carried out by the market research institute www.OnePoll.com on behalf of BullGuard. 2.000 people took part.

About BullGuard
BullGuard is a leading security software provider specializing in computer and mobile security solutions for consumers and small businesses.

 

(mh)

Source: Press Release