News research of Kaspersky Lab and her B2B International reveals that 30% of European parents feel they have no control over what their children see or what they do when they are online, with 33% worried that the dependence of their children on the Internet is becoming addicted. In addition, many adults worry that even their parents and older relatives who come in contact with technology could be equally vulnerable.
More than half (52%) of European survey respondents believe that the risks facing their children are increasing. Their main concern is the risk of children coming into contact with inappropriate or inappropriate content (41%), while almost two in three (55%) are convinced that their children have unlimited access to such content.
Also, European parents worry about the possibility of children contacting and communicating with dangerous strangers (34%), as well as sharing very personal information (40%). 33% is afraid that children can become addicted to the Internet and spend too much time online.
The risk of children being contacted by malware - and most likely not being able to recognize it - is a major concern for 32% of parents in Europe. What is most surprising and worrying is that cyber-bullying, which can have a devastating and long-term impact on the lives of young people, has been seen as a major concern just by the 39% of parents.
Along with these direct threats to children, parents are also worried that other family members could be affected by unsafe online behavior of children. For example, this could cause accidental deletion or loss of data (24%) or unpredictable expense (26%) through online purchases.
The concern of European adults is that 51% has parents who use the Internet. In fact, 26% is concerned about the dangers their parents may encounter and are unable to cope with. Respondents with digitally active elderly relatives (16% of European respondents) consider them even more vulnerable, with 11% of Europeans worried about what their older relatives may encounter.
In particular, concerns about the most mature internet users include the risk of encountering malware (50%) or fake websites and email (51%), money-laundering and 43% fraud, 51% ) or even online spying (36%). As in the list of the most important concerns for children, getting acquainted with dangerous foreigners (21%) and inappropriate content (20%) rank high among the risks that the elderly may face.
"Protection is a parental instinct, but the online landscape is changing the rules. Our research reveals that many parents fear that the number of threats their children face online is increasing, with so much uncontrolled content available. Worryingly, the research shows that one in five parents do not take any action to keep children safe, while more than half (58%) do not even discuss online threats with them. With a significant number of adults concerned about the threats facing inexperienced elderly relatives online, particularly in the form of fraud and malware, it is important that these pressure parents to have the software and support they need to keep their loved ones safe,” said David Emm, Principal Security Researcher of Kaspersky Lab.
Kaspersky Lab urges parents to adopt an approach that combines a comprehensive security solution, with education and communication. A family-centric software solution is the ultimate safety net, effectively protecting children when parents aren't around, even from threats adults don't even know about. But it's just as important that children and elderly relatives understand how to protect themselves. This requires them to know what to look out for, how to block unwanted approaches and how to avoid disturbing content. Above all, Kaspersky Lab advises parents to combine software and education with an open dialogue about online risks and online behavior.
Kaspersky Lab 's consumer solutions, the Kaspersky Internet Security - Multi-Device 2016 and Kaspersky Total Security - Multi-Device, include the Parental Control function to help adults protect vulnerable people from online threats, block access to inappropriate content sites and applications, and limit information that can be shared.
In addition, the special solution Safe Kids allows parents to watch what they do, what their kids see or what their children are looking for on all devices, and also show them what is dangerous or inappropriate on the Internet without risk.
