'One-third parents clueless about online activities of kids'

Most urban parents monitor and control the time spent by their children in the age-group between 6-15 very strictly. Almost one-third of parents are aware of the activities their kids are involved in on-line, according to the McAfee survey conducted in 10 Indian cities
Parents had a liberal view when it came to access to social networking sites by their children with ages between 6-15.

Around 62 per cent parents allowed their children to access social networking sites and 57 per cent of parents know that their kids lie about their age to gain access to sites such as Facebook and Orkut, where the minimum age limit is 13 years, the survey said.

The survey further revealed that while a good majority of computers used in urban homes have anti-virus software installed in their homes, one-third of them have not got their security software updated recently.

While only 36 per cent parents polled were aware of site blocking software, 25 per cent of parents from urban households claimed to know of family security products, it said.

At least 65 per cent of parents polled have taken adequate steps to secure their child from the perils of the Internet, while 30 per cent of parents have no clue and have done nothing to protect their child from the danger of the internet, it added.