BBC Learning warns parents of smartphone risks
Parents are being warned of the dangers to their children posed by tablet and smartphone use after a new poll found that many are oblivious to the potential pitfalls.
BBC Learning revealed that one in five children surveyed reported seeing something that had upset them on their mobile device, twice the number that parents suspected.
90 per cent of polled parents attested to speaking with their children about staying safe online but in practice very few actively maintain any kind of oversight. Separate research found that 20 per cent of parents do not monitor their children’s online activities at all.
David Emm, senior security researcher at Kaspersky Lab told the BBC: "When children use mobile devices to access the web, they are using the same internet, with the same risks," he said.
"There is a common misconception that smartphones and tablets don't need the same level of protection as a PC. But with such a high percentage of parents not having a clear view of their children's online activity, this way of thinking needs to change."