7/1/2013
Eight in 10 parents of children under age 18 (80%) do not know how to find out what their children are doing online, according to McAfee. Nearly three in four parents (74%) simply admit defeat and claim they don’t have the time or energy to keep up with their children’s online activities, and 62% believe their children are unable to get into much trouble.
Youths’ deceptive Internet activities begin early. While not technically permitted to have Facebook profiles, 85% of those ages 10-12 have accounts. A majority of these tweens (58%) say they know how to hide what they do from their parents online. One in four clear their browser history or use private browser settings to hide their activities from their parents.
Teens, on average, spend six hours a day online. Tweens ages 10-12 (34%) are more likely than those ages 13-17 (22%) and 18-23 (16%) to primarily access the Internet via desktop computers.
Nearly nine in 10 teens and tweens (86%) feel the Internet is safe. More than half (55%) post their email addresses, 48% post photos, and 47% include their physical descriptions. Parents, by comparison, are concerned that their children post email addresses (49%), photos (49%), and physical descriptions (50%).
Teens ages 13-17 (27%) are more likely than tweens (17%) and college-aged youths (22%) to say they have gotten in trouble with their parents as a result of their online activities.
Almost four in 10 parents (39%) try to monitor their children’s online behavior with parental controls. A similar percentage (41%) has set passwords to oversee their children’s mobile app usage, though only 92% of these parents remember the passwords.
Parents are nearly twice as likely as their children (71% vs. 44%) to say they have had conversations about proper online behavior. Nearly one in two children say they would change their online activities if they knew their parents were paying attention.
Among 10-to-23-year-olds:
- 75% find out about apps from their friends;
- 22% use mobile devices to hide activities from their parents;
- 25% spend five to six hours a day online; their parents think they are online only one to two hours a day; and
- 27% have witnessed cruel behavior on social media; 89% of those saw it happen on Facebook, 36% on Twitter, and 19% on Instagram.
Among 13-to-23-year-olds:
- 14% have hacked into someone else’s social network account or email;
- 57% search the Internet for sexual topics; only 13% of parents think their children do so;
- 48% have visited a website or video that their parents would disapprove of; 17% of parents think their children have done so;
- 37% search for simulated violence online; and
- 29% have had negative experiences when sharing revealing photos.
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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