14 DAY TRIAL // Simple discussion between father and son: "Billy, you should really go to sleep now!". Thinking at a Yahoo Messenger chat, Billy replies: "OK dad!". He steps into his room and, although he should sleep, he opens his computer and browses the Internet. This is what a recently conducted press release sustains. According to the research, most parents said that their children access the Internet only six hours a week while the kids reported a 11.4 hours period spent on the web, 23 percent of them admitting they are accessing applications that are not allowed by their parents.
The study revealed that 21 percent of the kids accessing the Internet found inappropriate material while 19 percent experienced online pranks such as images or videos. 23 % of children who are connected to the Internet talked with an unknown person while 7 percent of them really met somebody in the real life after they first chatted on the web.
"We know children, and particularly teens, are engaging in online activities their parents would be shocked to learn about," said Marian Merritt, Internet Safety Advocate for Symantec. "Through Symantec's Norton Connected and Protect Family Safety Initiative, we hope to educate parents about the reality of what their kids are doing online, foster communication between kids and parents, and give families the knowledge and tools they need to stay safe online."
The software companies from all over the world are working on powerful solutions able to offer the parents the power of controlling the computers which are also accessed by children. However, it seems like the adults need even more power when it comes to this kind of application as the kids can spend a considerable amount of time on the Internet. What's most important about this matter is that children are very vulnerable to the online threats and especially to pranks or child abusers who are trying to trick them in order to obtain sexual favors.