{"id":164091,"date":"2023-02-07T05:17:23","date_gmt":"2023-02-07T13:17:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/?p=164091"},"modified":"2023-02-06T20:53:58","modified_gmt":"2023-02-07T04:53:58","slug":"safer-internet-day-through-a-parents-eyes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/safer-internet-day-through-a-parents-eyes\/","title":{"rendered":"Safer Internet Day: Through a Parent\u2019s Eyes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cTogether for a better internet.\u201d That\u2019s the rallying cry of this year\u2019s Safer Internet Day, and it\u2019s one we\u2019re happy to hear. Particularly from a parent\u2019s perspective.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Safer Internet Day<\/span><\/a> celebrates its 20<\/span>th<\/span> year on February 7<\/span>th<\/span> and focuses on ways we can all protect, empower, and respect all children <\/span>when they go online<\/span><\/a>\u2014and gives us an opportunity to reflect on what that really means.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Consider that for some time now, children have found themselves born into an online world. As soon as they can pick up a toy, they can pick up a phone or tablet too. And they often do, given that they\u2019re growing up in homes where one is practically always in reach. With that, their online life begins.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Learning how to live life online is simply another part of growing up nowadays. And that\u2019s where we as parents play a significant role. Just as in every other aspect of life, they look to us for guidance, encouragement, and new things to see and do online. Safely, too.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Children look to their parents and families when it comes to staying safe online.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Children have said as much. In our recent global report entitled \u201c<\/span>Life Behind the Screens of Parents, Tweens, and Teens<\/span><\/a>,\u201d we asked who is best suited to teach them about being safe online. Children said their parents are the clear winners. Nearly three-quarters of children pointed to parents, almost twice more than teachers at school (39%) and more than twice over for online resources (34%).\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, while parents agreed with this, it appears they didn\u2019t always follow through. For starters, parents reported using basic protection on their own computers at a relatively low rate. Even the simplest of security steps scored relatively low despite how relatively easy they are to take. That included using antivirus software (68%), protecting the computer with a password (58%), or sticking to reputable online stores when shopping (50%). These figures dropped yet lower when asked if they took the same precautions for their children on their computers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, only 57% of parents said they installed antivirus on their child\u2019s computer and only 44% have their child password or passcode protect their computer, as illustrated by the drops in the chart below.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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This trend extends to smartphones as well. While 56% of parents said that they protect their smartphone with a password or passcode, only 42% said they do the same for their child\u2019s smartphone\u2014a 14% difference. Again, considering how easy it is to create a password or passcode for a phone, and how much of our online lives course through those devices, that figure would ideally come in at 100%.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In all, many parents protect their children even less than they protect themselves.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Children group up quickly online\u2014quicker than you might think<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Everyone loves their smartphone. Children particularly so. While parents placed their smartphone as their top device at 59%, followed by their computer or laptop at 42%, tweens and teens put their smartphone at the top of the at a decisive 74%. Second was their gaming console at 68%.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Unsurprisingly, that love for the smartphone pushes children\u2019s internet usage quickly to an adult level at an early age, marking a sort of early mobile maturity where they are exposed to the broader internet full of apps, chats, entertainment, and social media\u2014along with their benefits and risks nearly right away.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Taken with the low level of security measures parents place on their children\u2019s phones, we can see how children are going online with a device that\u2019s largely unprotected\u2014in part because their parents leave their smartphones largely unprotected as well.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Staying safer online takes more than a secure device.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Beyond devices, parents have other concerns about their children as they increasingly spend more time online, particularly as they get older. Some of the top ones include:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n