According to Trend Micro, more than 85 percent of the parents of 7-17 year olds found the level of personal information their children shared with online friends and strangers to be more troubling than the possibility of their exposure to inappropriate content such as violence or pornography — or of contracting computer virus infections.
Contact by strangers and inappropriate content tied for second place with 84 percent of parents concerned about these issues. 82 percent cite security issues including viruses and malware infections, while 67 and 52 percent say that aggressive commercialism and illegal peer-to-peer file sharing are most problematic.
Parental vigilance was also under the microscope, with the survey finding that while 93 percent of respondents use antivirus software, fewer than 30 percent employ parental control features that prevent access to age-inappropriate websites. 76 percent ensure that Internet-connected computers remain in public areas of the home, but 62 percent allow unsupervised access, with 75 percent allowing such access for children aged 13-15.
Reflecting the real world concerns of parents who do not know all of their children's acquaintances, the survey reveals that only 23 percent of parents believe they know whom their children interact with online.
Additional key findings include a greater concern for safety as children age, with younger respondents being less concerned than older respondents, as well as the parents of younger children being less concerned than are the parents of children 9-12 years old. This latter group includes the 17 percent of children ages 7-15 that have a computer in their bedroom, allowing for unsupervised Internet access.
The survey also demonstrated a correlation between age and technological sophistication, revealing that younger parents more closely monitor their children's surfing history than do parents over 35 years old. Women also tend to be more forceful about Internet safety issues than are men, while lower income households with annual earnings of less than $45,000 tend to focus on protecting their children from exposure to "aggressive commercialism."
"Trend Micro extends its commitment to Internet safety through its Internet Safety for Kids & Families initiative," Lynette Owens, Trend Micro director of corporate outreach, stated. "This survey was commissioned to help us better understand the areas of concern to the public and the biggest gaps between their perception and the reality of those concerns."
Focused on securing the exchange of digital information for businesses and consumers, Trend Micro is a global leader in Internet content security. It contracted with global survey-based market research company IPSOS Reid to conduct online interviews with 1,000 parents of 7-17 year olds concerning Internet safety and security in Canada.
"Like other countries, these findings confirm that a combination of education and available technology can go a long way in helping to keep kids safe online," Owens added.