| 70% of Teens Hide Their Online Behavior from Their Parents, McAfee Reveals What U.S. Teens are Really Doing Online, and How Little Their Parents Actually Know |
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Hidden Behavior Includes Everything from Adult Content to Cheating on School Work, Up from 45% since 2010
McAfee, the world’s largest dedicated security technology company, today released findings from the company’s 2012 Teen Internet Behavior study. The study investigates the online habits, behaviors, interests, and lifestyles of the first generation to truly grow up online, and discloses how teens are not only engaging in risky behaviors, but how they are hiding it from their parents, many of whom don’t realize they are being fooled. The study also exposes ten ways teens are hiding their online activities from their parents.
“While it is not necessarily surprising that teens are engaging in the same types of rebellious behaviors online that they exhibit offline, it is surprising how disconnected their parents are”
Despite their awareness of online dangers, teens continue to take risks by posting personal information and risky photos online, unbeknownst to parents. Many teens are accessing inappropriate online content, despite 73.5% of parents whom trust their teens to not access age-inappropriate content online. Specifically 43% of teens have accessed simulated violence online, 36% have access sexual topics online, and 32% have accessed nude content or pornography online.
Nearly half of parents believe their teens tell them everything they do online and insist they are in control when it comes to monitoring their teen’s online behaviors. However, the study reveals that teens deceiving their parents are on the rise, as over 70% of teens have found ways to avoid parental monitoring, compared to 2010, where 45% of teens have hidden their online behavior from a parent. The top 10 ways teens are fooling their parents include:
Clearing the browser history (53%)
Close/minimize browser when parent walked in (46%)
Hide or delete IMs or videos (34%)
Lie or omit details about online activities (23%)
Use a computer your parents don’t check (23%)
Use an internet-enabled mobile device (21%)
Use privacy settings to make certain content viewable only by friends (20%)
Use private browsing modes (20%)
Create private email address unknown to parents (15%)
Create duplicate/fake social network profiles (9%)
Source: Business Wire
Read more: http://www.businesswire.com/news/mcafee/20120625005107/en/70-Teens-Hide-Online-Behavior-Parents-McAfee
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