75% of parents believe that their children do not have enough information to make responsible use of the Internet

Still, one in four parents admits that they have never talked to their children about cybersecuritya relevant topic to be able to identify the main online threats and act against them, of which, in addition, 75 percent believe that their children do not have enough information to make responsible use of Internet.

98 percent of Spanish minors use the Internet regularly since the pandemic and seven out of ten have a mobile phone, according to data from the National Observatory of Technology and Information Society (ONTSI).

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Specifically, and according to parents, almost half of children (47%) in Spain have their first contact with a device connected to the Internet before turning seven years old, even if it is only to watch drawings, and 39 percent have his first device at less than eleven years old.

This is revealed by the report ‘Being online: children and parents on the Internet’, carried out by Kaspersky last October and on the occasion of European Cybersecurity Month, which now reveals data on the use that parents believe their children do on the Internet and highlights the importance of parents and children being aligned when it comes to safe and responsible use of the Internet.

Although 75.5 percent of the parents surveyed claim to have spoken several times with their children about safety in the online world, there is still a high percentage (24.5%) who admits they have never done so.

What’s more, 26 percent of parents admit that they do not have enough information to explain to their children how to use the Internet safely and responsibly and 75 percent believe that their children are not prepared or do not have sufficient knowledge to do so. safe use of the Internet.

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So much so that 21.5 percent of parents have discovered their children talking to strangers on the Internet and 12.5 percent have seen them share personal information, such as the name of the educational center where they study.

“Minors are an easy target for cybercriminals since, especially in the case of the youngest ones, they do not have the necessary knowledge or resources to know when they are faced with malicious software or in a dangerous situation. This makes them more vulnerable,” explains the head of Kaspersky Security Research, Marc Rivero, in a press release.

According to parents’ responses to the questions in the Kaspersky survey, only 36 percent of minors have received various training in cybersecurity in their educational centers, and 54.5 percent believe that it would be interesting for them to There would be more classes on cybersecurity.

By Autonomous Communities, it is in Melilla, the Basque Country and Cantabria where schools carry out the greatest number of educational sessions on cybersecurity.

What our children do on the Internet

The Kaspersky study reveals that, in 2023 and according to parents, 38 percent of minors in Spain surf the Internet between one and two hours a day, and that 30 percent do so for longer.

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32 percent spend online less than an hour a day or only connect on weekends or holidays, with children between 0 and 10 years old being the ones who spend the least amount of time online, a fact that Kaspersky links to a control stricter on the part of adults.

The cybersecurity company highlights “certain discrepancies” regarding what parents know about the applications their children use on the Internet. This is because in this latest report, and according to parents, from 0 to 5 years old, the most common thing is that they use the screens to watch series or movies, while between 6 and 13 years old they prefer to play video games and in In the case of minors between 14 and 17 years old, chat with friends.

Regarding the preferred applications of Spanish minors, parents point out that they are YouTube, in the age group 0 to 13, and Whatsapp, between 14 and 17 years old. However, a previous study carried out by Kaspersky, TikTok topped the list of most popular ‘apps’ among Spanish children, during June, July and August 2023, which, according to the company, shows that what parents say does not always coincide. They think their children are doing on the Internet with what they really do.

95 percent of parents say that there are certain rules at home when using the Internet. The most frequent are establishing a daily or weekly limit of hours (51.5%), prohibiting its use at times such as lunch or dinner (44%) or installing parental control software on the devices (41%).

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Internet safety rules

To encourage safe and responsible use from an early age and to be able to face the main cyber threats they face, such as cyberbullying, phishing or grooming, Kaspersky recommends that parents train in cybersecurity.

An example of a training resource is the ‘Safe Family’ initiative, developed by Kaspersky, and which offers material for adults to learn to see the Internet from the point of view of children.

They also highlight the importance of participating in children’s online activities from the beginning, to be able to guide them and give them advice on online safety practices or ask them what they think about what they are seeing and if they think it is dangerous.

Likewise, it is advisable to explain the rules of the digital world, to have a respectful attitude towards others or ask an adult for help if they feel uncomfortable in certain online situations. And they remember the use of parental control software, the use of which must be explained to children and why it is important for their safety, such as Kaspersky Safe Kids, within Kaspersky Premium.

Source: Elcomercio

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