Though schools can prevent some online material from reaching kids, most parents still worry about potential problems linked to more screen time.
Concerns vary by parents, but the most common concerns for children’s online safety were access to inappropriate material, too much screen time in general, or too much time spent on social media.
To help your kids avoid issues with internet use, communicate what is acceptable, which apps or sites are off limits, and what to do if they run into anything strange.
The vast majority of parents have rules for online safety
Only 7% of parents told us they had no rules in their household for their child’s web usage.
For the 93% of parents who do have rules, here are the most common:
- Must report inappropriate content to an adult: 52.05%
- No chatting with strangers: 48.25%
- Share passwords with parents: 43.86%
- Limit time online: 43.06%
- No social media: 30.67%
- Only use the web with adult supervision: 34.17%
About half of parents have rules about reporting inappropriate content, chatting with strangers, sharing passwords, and time limits for web usage.
Nearly a third of parents don’t allow social media, and a little over a third of parents require adult supervision to use the internet. But keeping track of those things can get a little complicated with the addition of cell phones (and devices like tablets).
Establishing rules
To help make rules clear, parents and kids can sign contracts for online family safety. Whether you use a template or create your own agreement, keeping the contract handy (or, better yet, visible) will help you and your kids remember the commitment.
Most kids have cell phones, but that decision is yours
These days, it’s more common for kids to have cell phones than not: only 16.58% of parents said their child does not have a cell phone—which means most kids have another individual portal for accessing the internet.
There’s a lot of discussion about the appropriate age to give kids a cell phone. We learned from our survey that most kids receive their first cell phones around ages 8–11. And less than 9% of kids receive cell phones after the age of 16.
Here are the most common ages for kids to get their first cell phone:
- Between 11 and 13: 23.78%
- Between 8 and 10: 23.68%
- Between 14 and 16: 13.89%
- Younger than 8 years old: 13.29%
- After 16 years old 8.79%
Cell phones can be a helpful tool for safety. For example, if a kid’s old enough to drive, a cell phone helps with road emergencies and provides another way for parents and kids to check in.
Still, it’s fair for parents to have concerns about cell phones.
Ultimately, it’s your responsibility as a parent to ensure your child is responsible enough to own and use one. (While you’re at it, it may be worth double-checking your own cell phone habits to make sure they’re not mimicking anything you wouldn’t want them to.)
Read the full story – https://www.safewise.com/kids-online-safety-statistics/.