According to a survey by Kaspersky Lab and B2B International, 13% of European users have lost money or important information as a result of their children’s online activity. This figure shows that children can unwittingly cause problems for their parents, in addition to exposing themselves to online risks.
However, this should not come as a surprise, considering that 47% of respondents believe that their children do not know enough about computers, while 39% believe that their children are completely unaware of digital threats. This lack of knowledge poses risks for parents who allow their children to use online devices. 7% of European parents reported that their children had accidentally deleted important information. In fact, 4% received unexpected bills from app stores that their children had visited. Overall, one in five parents worldwide admitted to having lost money or important data due to their children’s use of the Internet.
Despite this, only a third of parents are actually aware of the risk. In Europe, just 35% of parents are concerned that their children may spend money without consent when online and only 29% are concerned that their children may share confidential information. At the same time, parents seem to use various methods to avoid problems and protect their children from online threats. For example, 34% personally monitor how their children use devices and 12% have asked their Internet provider to block access to certain websites. In addition, 37% regularly remind their children of the dangers of the Internet, while 15% have chosen to “friend” their children on social networks. It is important to note that only 24% of parents use specialized software for their children’s online activities, although such functions are available in many security solutions.
“When parents think about their children spending time online, their first concern is to protect them from unwanted content. However, there is another important aspect that should not be forgotten, which concerns the problems that children can cause for parents. Using parental control solutions does not show distrust towards the child. It is a reasonable precaution, which helps protect the devices and the data on them. Interestingly, this application can also work the other way around. That is, adult children can use these solutions to help their older parents who have minimal knowledge about digital threats,” said Konstantin Ignatev, Web Content Analysts Group Manager at Kaspersky Lab.
The new Kaspersky Internet Security – Multi-Device 2015 includes a Parental Control module for Microsoft Windows and Apple OS X systems. Thus, it helps parents control which websites their children visit and which games they play, while blocking file “downloads” and preventing access to unwanted content and disclosure of confidential information. Also, by using the Parental Control module, parents can further enhance their security by analyzing their child’s messages on social networks and instant messaging applications and/or specifying unwanted words and phrases that should be filtered. In this way, Kaspersky Lab technologies help protect money and confidential data from cybercriminals, as well as protect children from the dangers that may lurk on the Internet.
