News research Kaspersky Lab and Kaspersky Lab 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 participants in research πιστεύουν ότι οι κίνδυνοι που αντιμετωπίζουν τα παιδιά τους αυξάνονται. Η κύρια ανησυχία τους είναι ο κίνδυνος να έρχονται τα παιδιά σε επαφή με ανάρμοστο ή ακατάλληλο περιεχόμενο (41%), ενώ σχεδόν two in three (55%) are convinced that their children have unrestricted 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 coming into contact with malware – and possibly not being able to identify it – is a major concern for 32% of parents in Europe. What causes more surprise and concern is that the cyber-bullying, which can have a devastating and long-term impact on young people's lives, was listed as a major concern by just 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.
To the concern of the Europeans adult add to that the fact that 51% have parents who use the Internet. In fact, 26% are worried about the dangers their parents might encounter and not be able to deal with. Respondents with digitally active elderly relatives (16% of European respondents) see them as even more vulnerable, with 11% of Europeans worried about what their older relatives might 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.
"Protectivity is a parental instinct, but the online landscape is changing the rules. Our research reveals that many parents are afraid that the number of threats their children face on the Internet is rising, with such uncontrollable available content. What's worrying is the fact that research shows that one in five parents does nothing to keep children safe while more than half (58%) did not even talk to them about online threats. With a significant number of adults worried about the threats facing inexperienced elderly relatives on the Internet, particularly in the form of fraud and malware, it is important that these pressured parents 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.
