As a mom to two teenagers I found the following study quite interesting and had to share with you all. we have had our share of internet related problems in the past. It is important for parents to be aware of their teens behavior online.
70% of Teens Hide Their Online Behavior from Their Parents
Cyber bullying, Illegal downloads, cheating in school and viewing pornography – these are just a few of the activities teens are doing online uncovered by McAfee’s recent Teen Internet Behavior study. And worse yet… parents don’t know! Shockingly, the study revealed 70% have hidden their online behavior from their parents, which has increased from 45% in 2010 with 22.8% of parents so overwhelmed by technology they just hope for the best.
Today, McAfee released a study on teen internet behavior looking at what today’s teens do online, and how unaware their parents really are, called: “The Digital Divide: How the Online Behavior of Teens is Getting Past Parents.”
Here are just a few of the risky online habits, behaviors, and interests, that the first generation to truly grow up online, are getting into:
- Viewing Pornography – 36% have access sexual topics online, and 32% have accessed nude content or pornography online. Only 12% of parents thought their children accessed pornography online.
- Bullying – 62.1% of all teens have witnessed cruel behavior online and 23.3% have claimed to be targets of cyber bullying. 9.5% of teens actually bullying, and 24.9% positing mean comments. Only 10% of parents believe their teens have been targeted online.
- Breaking the Law – Over half of teens (51%) report they have hacked someone’s social network account, 31% reported pirating movies and music. Less than 1 in 10 parents are aware their children are engaging in any of these behaviors.
- Cheating – 15% of teens having admitted to looking test answers on their phone, and 48.1% of teens having looked up assignment and test answers online. 77.2% of parents are not worried about their kids cheating at school.
In the midst of “Internet Safety Month”, they have uncovered risky online behavior by teens that their parents either know little about, don’t believe or just don’t know how to go about discovering. This study was serviced to more than 2,000 teens aged 13-17 and parents of teens in that same age range.
22.8% of Parents Are Overwhelmed by Technology and Just Hope for the Best
Do you monitor your teens online? How do you do it? Do you have concerns about any of the findings above?
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