Norton Cyber Security Insights Report Reveals Concerns About Cyberbullying and the Online World
Norton by Symantec released findings from the 2016 Norton Cyber Security Insights Report: Family Edition, which sheds light on parents’ perceptions of cyberbullying and the preventative measures they are putting in place to protect their children.
The report reveals that while 40 percent of Indian parents allowed their children to access the Internet before age 11, many had a wide range of concerns. For example, more than half (54 percent) of Indian parents believe their children are more likely to be bullied online than on a playground.
“Children today face threats beyond physical violence or face-to-face encounters,” said Ritesh Chopra, Country Manager, Norton by Symantec. “Cyberbullying is a growing issue and parents are struggling to identify and respond to this threat. A concern for many parents is that cyberbullying doesn’t stop when their child leaves school – as long as your child is connected to a device, a bully can connect to them.”
In addition to cyberbullying, parents’ chief concerns were that their children might:
- Download malicious programs or a virus (71 percent)
- Disclose too much personal information to strangers (69 percent)
- Be lured into meeting a stranger in the physical world (65 percent)
- Do something online that makes the whole family vulnerable (62 percent) or embarrassed (60 percent)
- Be lured into illegal activities like hacking (61 percent)
The Norton Cyber Security Insights Report: Family Edition shows that Indian parents are starting to recognize how damaging cyberbullying can be for children and are putting in place preventative measures. For example,
- 57 percent parents chose to check their child’s browser history
- 46 percent only allow access to certain websites
- 48 percent allow Internet access only with parental supervision; 37percent review and approve all apps before they are downloaded
- 36 percent enable Internet access only in household common areas
- 35 percent limit information their child can post on social profiles
One interesting finding from the survey is that parents from countries, who had the strictest preventative measures in place also had the lowest incidence of cyberbullying. The survey also reveals that 7 percent of parents fail to take any action to protect their children online.
