This research focuses on parents’ experiences raising children in a world steeped in online activity and connection. It confirms the pivotal role parents play in keeping their children safe online and highlights their very real concerns about their capacity to deal with online safety issues. It also provides insight into how parents assess and react to their children’s experiences and the information they find most useful in guiding children through their experiences online. Data in this report is drawn from a random sample of 3,520 parents in Australia of children aged 2–17.
Key findings:
- That both parents’ concerns about their child being online and their additional information requirements revolve around the need to maintain privacy — as well as the need to protect them from unwanted approaches from strangers.
- Parenting approaches and attitudes vary, based on the age of the child in their care. Parents with an older child are more likely to favour a more open parenting style while parents with a younger child are more restrictive.
- Parents display a general lack of confidence about having to deal with their child’s negative online experiences.
- Despite its perceived importance, parents are not proactive when it comes to seeking and receiving online safety information.
The full research is available here: https://www.mysecuritymarketplace.com/product/parenting-in-the-digital-age/
