Parents Should Take Action to Protect Children from Cyber-Risks

Actions parents can take to protect their children from growing cyber-risks were highlighted during a webinar organized by Menlo Security and featuring insights from Nina Bual, co-author & CEO, Cyber Lite Ready, Get Set, CONNECT! Interactive Workbook.

Mike East, vice president, EMEA at Menlo, began by highlighting the expansion of the internet, which, while enriching, “sadly also we have to be painfully aware that not everything on the internet is good, and there is quite a lot of malicious intent.”

Although there have been huge advancements in the cybersecurity industry over recent years, this has been primarily aimed at protecting organizations. “But who is looking after our children? Who is looking over their shoulders to make sure they’re safe?” he asked.

East went on to note a recent Twitter poll of parents conducted by Menlo, which showed that social media was the least trusted platform in regard to their children’s internet usage. The number one concern for parents was their child meeting a stranger online. Yet despite this, 63% admitted they had not placed restrictions on their child’s use of the internet.

Bual then highlighted the substantial cyber-risks children are exposed to. She cited studies showing the enormous amount of time children are spending on non-educational resources online. Pre-COVID, those in the ‘tween’ bracket, aged between 7 and 13, spent 44 minutes a day on average, but from ages 13–17, this rose to an incredible 7 hours and 22 minutes. As a result, many youngsters are exposed to numerous harms online, including cyber-bullying, self-harm/suicide, and sexual conduct.

Worryingly, this is regularly occurring on well-known apps, such as WhatsApp, Spotify, and Pinterest.

One major issue, in the v ..

Support the originator by clicking the read the rest link below.