According to a report by Kaspersky Lab, children and minors around the world spend most of their time online, using communication tools such as social networks, email, chat tools , etc. (which account for 67% of their online activity). Gaming portals (11%) and websites containing information about alcohol, drugs and tobacco products (9%) came in second and third place, respectively.
At the same time, the same report shows that there are notable differences in children's interests by country.
The report covers a 12-month period and shows anonymized statistics, derived from Kaspersky Lab security solutions for Windows PC and Mac, in which the Parental Control module is enabled.
In this context, the report presents the percentage of visits or attempted visits to websites with potentially harmful content, falling into one of 14 predefined categories*. The statistics show that during the specified period, children reduced their visits to media and websites with adult themes. This trend can be explained by the fact that children are moving their most “sensitive” activities to mobile devices, which are not covered by the report.
Data for Greece shows that the majority of minors visit social networking sites (67%). 10% of children in Greece visit online gaming sites, while 8% visit drug-related sites. To a lesser extent, they use email (3%), visit illegal software sites (3%), online stores (2%) and pornographic sites (2%).
The category “online media” was most popular in Mexico (86%), Russia, Brazil and Italy (all just over 70%). The children who used online media the least during this period were in China (30%), Germany (31%) and the United Kingdom (32%).
Interestingly, the less popular this category was in a country, the more popular the “electronic games” category was. Children in the UK (28%), Germany (26%) and Australia (21%) are more likely to play online, while children from Mexico (4%), Italy (6%) and Japan (7%) do so less often.
When it comes to watching videos, listening to music and downloading software, children in Japan have a clear lead worldwide (12% of all notifications in Kaspersky Lab's Parental Control units).
Japanese minors are also more likely to make online purchases (17%), as are minors in China (20%). The “alcohol, tobacco and drugs” category attracted the most alerts in Germany (23%) and the United Kingdom (25%).
On the other hand, websites in the “adult content” category attracted the most interest among minors in China (23%) and Japan (5%). This category was the least interesting for children in the UK and the US (less than 1% in both countries).
“The popularity of certain categories of websites among minors in different countries can be linked to the cultural characteristics and economic conditions of each country. We see that children are becoming increasingly self-sufficient when they are online. They choose what music to listen to, what films and cartoons to watch, and what software to install. This independence is amazing, but on the Internet, as in real life, it is necessary to guide young people and teach them how to behave wisely, safely, and responsibly.
At Kaspersky Lab, we believe that to prevent potential exposure to harmful content, parents need to combine a comprehensive security solution with ongoing communication. Discussions educate young users about online threats and help build trusting relationships in families, while security solutions provide a basis for such discussions and a safe environment for the whole family,” commented Anna Larkina, Senior Web Content Analyst at Kaspersky Lab.
Kaspersky Total Security – multi-device and Kaspersky Internet Security – multi-device security solutions include a Parental Control module to help adults protect their children from online threats and block websites or applications with inappropriate content.
Kaspersky Lab also has the Safe Kids, which allows parents to monitor what their children do, see, and search for online across all devices, and show them what is dangerous or inappropriate on the Internet.
* The categories of websites that can be blocked by the Parental Control module of Kaspersky Lab solutions are: 1) adult content, 2) alcohol, tobacco products and drugs, 3) electronic games, 4) e-commerce, 5) inappropriate language, 6) gambling and betting, lotteries and raffles, 7) HTTP redirect queries, 8) online communication media, 9) job search, 10) news media, 11) religions, religious organizations, 12) software, audio, video, 13) violence, 14) weapons, explosives, fireworks.
