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Moms Fight Cybercrime with Education
By Brent Remai, Vice President, Consumer Marketing
Do you know where your children are when they’re online?
Today’s computer-savvy moms are hip to the dangers of the Internet—and they are worried about their kids. About two-thirds of mothers surveyed by Harris Interactive for McAfee are as concerned about their teenagers’ online safety as they are about drinking or experimenting with drugs. In fact, 44 percent of moms fret over their kids’ safety when they’re online unsupervised—in their own homes.
Browsing Behind their Backs
And their fears are not unfounded, as our research reveals. While 72 percent of mothers have verbal agreements with their teens about what is allowed or not allowed online, 48 percent of moms admitted that they don’t always know what their children are up to. When we polled teens, we discovered that many young folks cover their tracks when they go online and may unknowingly expose themselves to risks when they send emails, socialize, or play games on the Internet.
Here are some of our findings:
- 63 percent of teens hide what they do from their parents—by closing or minimizing browsers when a parent walks in on them, by clearing the browser history after they finish, by using private email addresses or social networking profiles, or by disabling parental control filters
- 52 percent of teens (34 percent girls, 15 percent boys) have given out personal information, including physical descriptions or photos, to someone they don’t know in person
- 20 percent of teens have engaged in bullying behavior, such as spreading rumors or participating in pranks
- 9 percent of teen use the Internet to cheat at school
What is a mother to do? Often, moms resort to undercover tactics. Fifty-nine percent check the child’s browser history, more than 25 percent spy on their kids by assuming a false identity to "friend" their kids online, and 15 percent use parental monitoring software.
McAfee Empowers Moms with Education
To better equip moms in their never-ending quest for family cybersafety, McAfee launched a consumer education program this fall as part of our global cybercrime initiative.
"McAfee is committed to making online life safe for the millions of families who use the Internet every day," says Todd Gebhart, executive vice president and general manager of McAfee Consumer, Mobile and Small Business. "As the only company whose sole focus is security, our mission is to help safeguard today's families from online threats through our product technology, our researchers and education.
To support this effort, we’ve partnered with Parry Aftab, renowned online safety expert, attorney, and author, as our first Family Internet Safety Advisor; and Tracy Mooney, mother of three, as Chief Cyber Security Mom. Both will work to empower parents with knowledge about protecting their families online.
As a pioneer cyberlaw expert, Aftab works closely with law enforcement and regulatory agencies worldwide. In fact, she’s known as "The Angel of the Internet" for her extensive work in Internet safety, cybercrime, and abuse prevention. Parry has led online child protection efforts in the U.S. and the U.K. and has appeared on major network television shows, such as Good Morning America, The Today Show, CNN and NBC Dateline.
Tracy Mooney first got involved with McAfee when she volunteered to participate in the McAfee S.P.A.M. (Spammed Persistently All Month) Experiment in May 2008. On her weekly blog and through her "Mom’s Against Cybercrime" Facebook page, Tracy offers sound advice based on the latest threat information gathered from our renowned research team, McAfee® Avert® Labs, and other sources.
"Through my own experience as the mother of three children — ages 17, 12 and 4 and a half — who are incredibly active online, I know how easy it is for your kids to get into danger online," says Mooney. "Last year, I found out my son was receiving threatening messages. That experience started me on a path to learn more about all the things I need to do as a parent to keep my kids safe from harm."
Education Is the Best Defense
Instead of resorting to spying tactics, the most effective thing moms can do to keep their kids safe online is to stay abreast of the latest threats and scams, and convey this knowledge to their teens. Why not have the kids read the blogs written by Tracy and Parry and share what they’ve learned at the dinner table with other family members? It’s the perfect forum for a family discussion about the threats that lurk on the Internet and developing strategies for avoiding them.
In keeping with the holiday season, Tracy offers insights on the "twelve scams of Christmas"—from phishing scams that look like they come from charity organizations to holiday-themed spam that leads to malicious sites. Take a look at our at-a-glance chart that matches each scam with appropriate McAfee solutions that you can apply at home and at work. For additional year-round security tips on buying online, check out McAfee’s Do’s and Don’ts of Online Shopping.
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