Many parents also fear their kids may be lured into meeting up by strangers

  DUBAI – Eight out of every 10 sets of parents in the UAE are worried about the safety of their children who use the Internet, according to research done by an international cybersecurity company. The study from Norton by Symantec also showed that many parents fear that their children may either be cyberbullied or be lured by a stranger to meet outside their home.

Other highlights of the study are:

  • 60 percent of parents are concerned about their children downloading malicious apps or programs.
  • 54 percent of parents worry that their son or daughter may be lured into meeting up by a stranger.
  • 52 percent said their children might do or say something that might make the entire family vulnerable or place them in danger.
  • 51 percent worry that their children may be giving out too much personal information to others via the Internet.
  • 48 percent of the parents fear that their children might post something that would jeopardize their chances of getting a job when that time comes.
  • The report showed further that two out of every five parents believe that their children are more likely to get bullied online than in school.
To address such fears, Tamim Taufiq, head of Norton Middle East, said: "parents play a critical role in educating their children on the boundaries for acceptable and safe Internet behaviors." "An open dialogue about online experiences is the first step in protecting children online," Taufiq added. He also said that while preventing children from going online is not necessarily the answer, "we encourage parents to establish house rules on Internet usage based on their age and to talk to their children about their online experiences." GAC/Expat 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