Broadband News

Parents reminded of online safety at Christmas

Thursday 22 December, 2011

By Anthony Hill

Half of parents forget to keep kids safe on the web

A third of UK parents have bought new computers for their children this Christmas, yet almost half admit they haven’t considered parental controls.

Research by Virgin Media shows that 36% of Britain’s mums and dads are prepared to let the little ones loose on the web. However, only 52% of those are planning to use software that blocks inappropriate websites.

The broadband provider quizzed 2,000 parents with a child aged between three and 15 years old. Rather than set-up parental controls, 30% said they would simply supervise the children online.

Almost a quarter were planning to give full control to their child, trusting them to avoid sites that could jeopardise their safety on the internet. In fact, 1 in 10 mums and dads said the thought of using parental controls had never even crossed their mind.

Jon James, executive director of broadband at Virgin Media, said: “The internet is a great place for learning and education but, just as there are fantastic resources for kids to enjoy, there are also some places on the web parents would rather their kids weren’t exposed to.

“We provide parental controls as part of our security suite, however, this research highlights many parents are unaware they can tailor their family’s online experience without huge expense or hassle.”

Parental controls allow users to disable certain categories of websites, with predefined levels of protection based on various age groups. Some programs also allow parents to block web access at certain times of the day, during homework hours for example.

Of all the parents surveyed, 28% said their children have access to computers away from supervision, despite almost a third of mums and dads being “gravely concerned” about the threat of chat room grooming.

To help parents protect their children from the first time they connect to the internet this Christmas, Virgin Media has released some top tips for a safer online experience:

1. Check with your internet service provider (ISP) to find out if they offer any type of parental controls.
2. Consider how your child uses the internet and where you can introduce some restrictions.
3. Help children to understand they should never share personal details with people online.
4. Educate your child that the internet is not a private space and that anyone could see something they share online.
5. Advise your child not to open files or videos they receive from a stranger as these could contain a virus, or inappropriate visuals or videos
6. Make sure your child understands what information is personal so they know not to share telephone numbers, addresses, the name of their school, siblings or sports clubs.
7. Consider becoming ‘friends’ with your child on Facebook and other social networks so you can passively monitor the people they are becoming friends with.
8. Make sure your child knows that they can talk to you about anything they see or receive online.