The report, which surveyed more than 3,700 families in seven countries, found that 21 per cent of parents and 22 per cent of children said the internet caused family tension and 31 per cent of parents believed the internet isolated them from their children.

In the past, parents were the first source for children seeking advice or answers to questions, but 23 per cent of the parents said their kids preferred to go online rather than talk to them. 

The research also found that 42 per cent of parents were not friends with their children on social networks, and 18 per cent said this had occurred because their children found it embarrassing. 

Thirty-one per cent of parents complained that their child had broken something on connected devices, and 30 per cent said they had infected the device with a virus while online. Twenty-four per cent of parents said they had to pay for something their child had ordered or downloaded.

The survey found that 13 per cent of children accused parents of breaking a device and 16 per cent complained that their parents had accidentally deleted some of their data.

Andrei Mochola, head of Consumer Business at Kaspersky Lab, said: "It is only natural that using – and misusing – each other's connected devices can become a cause of conflict for families. However, as we spend more and more time online, family dynamics are also changing.

"It is important that families maintain an ongoing dialogue about how to spot and respond to potential dangers, with parents and children together agreeing on the basic rules on how they can best navigate the digital world."

"It is also important to be serious about protection. We recommend installing an integrated home internet security solution on all devices in the home. This should be enhanced with parental control software, which can block access to inappropriate sites or apps and prevent sensitive data from being shared or deleted." 

VNS