JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – A CONSIDERABLE number of South African parents are concerned their children’s internet-dependency is becoming an addiction.

This is according to findings of a new research suggesting 40 percent of parents are concerned.

The survey by Kaspersky Lab and B2B International reveals that 28 percent of parents in South Africa feel they have no control over what their children see or do online.

Added to this, many adults worry that their own, digitally-active parents and grandparents could be equally vulnerable.

Some 47 percent of respondents in South Africa believe that the threats their children face online are increasing.

The top concern is the risk of kids encountering inappropriate or explicit content (52 percent), with 55 percent convinced that kids have unrestricted access to such content.

Other worries include the likelihood of kids coming across and communicating with dangerous strangers (43 percent) and sharing too much personal information about themselves (49 percent). 42 percent of those surveyed locally are afraid that kids can become addicted to the internet and spend too much time online.

“Being protective is a parental instinct, but the online landscape is changing the rules. Our survey reveals that many parents fear that the number of threats facing their kids online is increasing, with so much unregulated content available,” said David Emm, Principal Security Researcher at Kaspersky Lab.

He said worryingly, the study shows that every fifth parent takes no action to keep kids safe and more than half (58 percent) do not even talk with them about online threats.

“With a significant number of adults also worrying about the threats facing inexperienced older relatives online, particularly in the form of scams and malware, it is important that these parents under pressure have the software and support they need to keep their loved ones secure,” said Emm.

– CAJ News