Advertisment

54% Parents Worried About Cyber Bullying of Kids: Norton Research

Norton by Symantec released findings from the 2016 Norton Cyber Security Insights Report: Family Edition, which sheds light on parents’ perceptions of cyber bullying

author-image
Adeesh Sharma
New Update
Skybox

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.

Advertisment

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:

Advertisment
  • 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)

Parents Beginning to Step Up Family Cyber Security

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,

Advertisment
  • 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.

“Many parents are still in the dark about how to recognize the signs of cyberbullying and what to do if their children are impacted. The first steps for all parents is to educate themselves about the signs of cyberbullying and learn how to establish an open line of communication with their children,” added Chopra.

Advertisment

Starting a Conversation

The Norton Cyber Security Insights Report indicates that only 17 percent of Indian parents reported their child was cyberbullied. While on the surface, this may seem like cyberbullying is not a problem, the reality is that many parents don’t know how to recognize the signs of cyberbullying, so the problem is likely under-reported. Additionally, many children choose to remain silent about cyberbullying due to a fear of losing access to devices and the Internet, or that parents will embarrass them or exacerbate the problem by contacting the bully’s parents or the school.

If you suspect or are worried about cyberbullying, the first step is communication. Cyberbullying is a sensitive subject, and starting a conversation can be difficult.

Advertisment

Signs of Cyberbullying

Some of the signs that indicate a child is being cyberbullied include:

They appear nervous when receiving a text/online message or email

Habits with devices change. They may begin avoiding their devices or using them excessively

They make excuses to avoid going to school

They become defensive or secretive about online activity

They withdraw from friends and family

They have physical symptoms such as trouble sleeping, stomach aches, headaches, and weight loss or gain

They begin falling behind in school or acting out

Their grades start declining

They appear especially angry, frustrated or sad, particularly after going online/checking devices

They delete social media or email accounts

About the Norton Cyber Security Insights Report

The Norton Cyber Security Insights Report is an online survey of 20,907 device users ages 18+ across 21 markets, commissioned by Norton by Symantec and produced by research firm Edelman Intelligence. The margin of error for the total sample is +/-0.68%. The India parenting sample reflects input from 1,028 device users ages 18+, 593 of whom are parents. The margin of error is +/- 3.1% for the total India sample, +/-4% among Indian parents. Data was collected Sept. 14 - Oct. 4, 2016 by Edelman Intelligence.

cyber-security
Advertisment