Trend Micro releases findings from global consumer technology use and security survey focused on parents and kids

Trend Micro Incorporated released the findings of its Global Consumer Technology Use and Security Study. Conducted across seven countries including Australia, Brazil, France, India, Japan, the U.K., and the U.S., the survey asked 1,419 parents on how their kids access the Internet and the steps they take to protect and educate them about staying safe online.

Overall, the survey revealed that even though parents around the world are concerned about technology’s impact on their children, they welcome what this new paradigm can offer, allowing their kids the privileges of owning smartphones and using social networks at early ages. Understanding the risks, parents surveyed say they are taking an active role in providing guidance and oversight of their children’s technology and Internet use. 

Attitudes Toward Internet Safety

Most parents are like-minded, sharing concerns about their children’s increasing use of the Internet. Nevertheless, parents in some countries worry more than those in other countries. For example, 56 percent of U.K. parents surveyed believe the Internet is safe for kids compared to only 12 percent of parents in Japan. Japanese kids are also less likely to visit social networking sites – only 12 percent of the Japanese parents surveyed reported their kids have an account with social networking sites, compared to 63 percent of parents in Brazil

The majority (73 percent) of parents whose children have an account with social networking sites indicated their children’s online privacy on social networking sites is important, particularly so in the U.S. (85 percent), the U.K. (83 percent) and Australia (81 percent). 

More than half of the parents whose children use social networking are worried about their children’s privacy on these sites ‘frequently’ or ‘all the time’. In Brazil, especially, one third of the parents worry about their children’s privacy on social networking sites ‘all the time’.

Social Networking Use

Nearly half of parents surveyed say their kids have accounts with social networking sites (SNS) that require a minimum age of 13 but the average age of their kids who use these sites is 12.

Children in Brazil are joining social networking sites at a younger age than most other countries, at an average age of 9.

76 percent of parents surveyed say they are friends with their kids on social networking sites and about two-thirds of them are monitoring their kids’ SNS use at least once a week.

More than half of parents (51 percent) surveyed believe their kids act responsibly on social networking sites. Of U.S. parents surveyed, 67 percent believe their child acts responsibly when it comes to sharing personal information.