Over 65 percent of parents,according to a Trend Micro survey, believe their kids are safe while using the Internet and 60 percent are not concerned about kids coming into contact with cyber threats such as spam and viruses, or inappropriate content such as nudity and gambling through Internet-related devices like game consoles aside from the computer.
Despite such parental confidence in Internet safety, this generation of tech-savvy kids who grew up in front of computers are faced with more online dangers than ever before. According to statistics published by Pediatrics magazine last year, 40 percent of kids between the ages of 10-17 have seen Internet pornography in the past year; two thirds of those exposures were unwanted.
According to the Internet Security Task Force, over 30 percent of teenagers state that visiting social networking sites is one of the top two activities they do while online. But social networking can pose dangers - phishing, a scam that sends a user to a fake Web site designed to steal personal data and information, is on the rise.
(The press release)
Yikes. Those stats right there are the reason why you – as a parent – need to watch what thyour kids do online, and teach them how to be safe. By teaching kids early how to be a Responsible CyberCitizen (www.responsiblecybercitizen.com), there is a better chance of them staying safe through their teen years and beyond. And by monitoring their online activity with parental control monitoring software (…) you will know if they are safe, and will have records of their activity to start a conversation on their actions.