Top Internet Safety Concerns for Canadian Parents: Kids Sharing Personal Information Online Trumps Watching Porn

Over 85 percent of Canadian parents of 7-17 year olds were found to be most concerned about the “online over-sharing” of personal information by their Web-savvy kids among online friends and strangers — even more so than watching inappropriate content like violence and pornography, or getting virus infections on their computers – according to an IPSOS Reid survey commissioned by Trend Micro that consisted of over 1,000 Canadians, predominantly parents, but also included educators and caregivers.

Unwanted contact by online strangers and accessing inappropriate content tied closely for second, with 84 percent of parents stating these as top concerns; 82 percent said security issues such as virus or malware infections were most troubling; 67 and 52 percent cited aggressive commercialism and illegal peer-to-peer file-sharing, respectively, as most vexing.

So just how vigilant are parents when it comes to protecting their children from these stated concerns? The survey found it to be a mixed-bag: Parents who exercised caution in some areas were found to be lacking insight or knowledge in others. For example, while 93 percent of those surveyed said they are running security or antivirus software to prevent virus and malware infections, fewer than 30 percent are running parental control features, which make it possible to limit and track the Web sites their children are visiting. And even though 76 percent of parents said they make sure their Internet-connected computers are in a public/common area room of the house, nearly 62 percent of them allow unsupervised access. This increases to more than 75 percent for parents of children aged 13-15.

The survey also found that some parents live in a state of ignorance over their children’s Internet relationships when it comes to knowing exactly with whom their children are having online interactions — only 23 percent of parents believe they’ve personally met and know all of their children’s online contacts.

Other notable findings from the survey:

• The older the respondent, the greater the concern for safety across the board. Younger respondents 18-34 were less concerned than older respondents.
• Parents of children less than 8 are less concerned than parents of children 9-12
• 17 percent of children aged 7-15 have a computer in their room.
• Younger parents are better at checking the history of where their children have surfed the Internet than those over 35.
• Women are more likely to provide a great deal of guidance on issues of Internet safety than men.
• Lower income households are more likely to provide a great deal of guidance against aggressive commercialism than families with income over $45,000.

“Trend Micro extends its commitment to Internet safety through its Internet Safety for Kids & Families initiative,” said Lynette Owens, director of corporate outreach, Trend Micro. “This survey was commissioned to help us better understand the areas of concern to the public and the biggest gaps between their perception and the reality of those concerns. Like other countries, these findings confirm that a combination of education and available technology can go a long way in helping to keep kids safe online.”

For tips and tools on how to keep your children and family safe on the Internet, please visit: www.trendmicro.com/go/safety

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