Some 70% of teens whose computers have online parental monitoring systems have found ways to avoid these barriers, up from 45% who were able to do so in 2010, according to security technology firm McAfee. Two in three teens (66%) say their parents don’t need to know everything they do online, and 50% would change their online behavior if they knew their parents were watching.
There is a big disconnect between what parents think their teens are doing online and teens’ real online activities. On average, teens spend five hours a day online, while parents think their teens spend an average of three hours a day online. One in 10 teens (10%) spend more than 10 hours a day online.
More than three in four parents (77%) are not worried about their teens cheating online, yet 16% of teens have looked for test answers on their phones, and 48% have looked up answers online via computer. Six in 10 teens who use social networks (60%) check their accounts daily, and 41% check their accounts “constantly,” while only 48% of parents think their teens check their accounts daily, and 22% believe their teens check their accounts “constantly.”
Almost one in three teens (31%) have accessed pirated movies or music, 15% have hacked a social network account, and 9% have hacked someone else’s email, yet only 15% of parents are aware their teens are engaging in any of these behaviors. Only 10% of parents believe their teens have been targeted by cyberbullies, whereas 23% of teens say they have been victims.
More than six in 10 teens (62%) have witnessed cruel behavior online. One in 10 (10%) admit to being cyberbullies, and 25% have posted mean comments online. Email (6%) and online forums (10%) are the top two online activities that are least likely to be associated with cyberbullying.
Almost three in four parents (74%) trust their teens not to access age-inappropriate content online, yet 43% of teens have gone online to view simulated violence, 36% have accessed sexual topics online, and 32% have accessed nude content or pornography online. Pornography is much more prevalent in teens’ lives than their parents realize. Only 12% of parents think their teens view pornography online, while 43% of them access it on a weekly basis.
More than two in 10 teens (22%) post photos on social networks; 8% of these photos feature revealing clothing and 4% show intoxicated teens.
Teens have experienced negative consequences from using social networks including arguing with friends (35%), getting into trouble at school or home (25%), ending friendships (20%), fearing for their safety (7%), and physical fights (5%). Only 22% of parents feel their teens can get into trouble through their online activities.
One in three parents feel their teens are more tech-savvy than they are, and 23% say they’re too overwhelmed by modern technology to keep up with their teens’ online activities. Mobile devices haven’t taken over teens’ Internet use. They spend more time accessing the Internet via laptops (37%) and desktop computers (30%) than smartphones (13%) or tablet devices (5%).
One in two teens say their social network time is spent mostly observing others’ activities, rather than actively posting content themselves. Nearly four in 10 (39%) regularly post and chat on social networks, and 6% say they share almost everything in their lives online. More than one in 10 teens (12%) have met someone in person that they previously knew only from online interactions.
Source: McAfee, Jamie Leigh Le, 3965 Freedom Circle, Santa Clara, CA 95054; 408-346-5276; jamie_le@mcafee.com; www.mcafee.com.
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