VietNamNet Bridge – Parents need to do more to protect their kids from the growing number of online threats, but many are unaware of the dangers, a global study by online security company Kaspersky Lab has found.

Parents need to be more aware of the dangers their children face online. — VNS Photo

Only a quarter (26 per cent) use parental control software to restrict their kids’ activity online, but, worryingly, among parents who have not installed parental control features, one in five (21 per cent) believe it is better for children to learn how to use the internet safely themselves, according to the 2016 Consumer Security Risk Survey.  

Only a third (37 per cent) worry that their children could be exposed to inappropriate or explicit content.

Just 36 per cent are wary of their kids communicating with dangerous strangers, and 34 per cent worry about them becoming a victim of cyberbullying.  

Not enough parents are taking the required steps to protect their children, with only a third regularly talking to their children about the dangers online and bringing the internet into family conversation and a quarter regularly checking the internet history on the browser.

Around 41 per cent of kids were exposed to online threats in the 12-month period leading up to the research. The threats included being exposed to inappropriate content, cyberbullying, dangerous strangers and more.

“Parents need to be more aware of the dangers their children face online,” Andrei Mochola, head of consumer business at Kaspersky Lab, said.

“They need to help their kids become more cyber-savvy and put protection methods in place to keep them safe online, as they would in the physical world.”        

VNS