Norton by Symantec has released findings from the 2016 Norton Cyber Security Insights Report: Family Edition, which sheds light on New Zealand parents’ perceptions of cyberbullying and the preventative measures they are putting in place to protect their children.
The report reveals that while 71 percent of parents in New Zealand allowed their children to access the internet before age 11, many had a wide range of concerns. For example, half (50 percent) of New Zealand parents believe their children are more likely to be bullied online than on a playground.
“Children today face threats beyond physical violence or face-to-face encounters,” said Gavin Lowth, Vice President, Consumer Business Unit, Asia Pacific and Japan, Symantec. “Cyberbullying is a growing issue and parents are struggling to identify and respond to this threat. A concern for many parents is that cyberbullying doesn’t stop when their child leaves school – as long as your child is connected to a device, a bully can connect to them.”
In addition to cyberbullying, parents’ chief concerns were that their children might:
The Norton Cyber Security Insights Report: Family Edition shows that Kiwi parents are starting to recognise how damaging cyberbullying can be for children and are putting in place preventative measures. For example,
One interesting finding from the global survey is that countries where parents had the strictest preventative measures in place, also had the lowest incidence of cyberbullying. The survey reveals that roughly one in six (16 percent) parents in New Zealand fail to take any action to protect their children online.
“Many parents are still in the dark about how to recognise the signs of cyberbullying and what to do if their children are impacted. The first steps for all parents is to educate themselves about the signs of cyberbullying and learn how to establish an open line of communication with their children,” added Lowth.
The Norton Cyber Security Insights Report indicates that only 10 percent of New Zealand parents reported their child was cyberbullied. While on the surface, this may seem like cyberbullying is not a problem, the reality is that many parents don’t know how to recognise the signs of cyberbullying, so the problem is likely under-reported. Additionally, many children choose to remain silent about cyberbullying due to a fear of losing access to devices and the internet, or that parents will embarrass them or exacerbate the problem by contacting the bully’s parents or the school.
If you suspect or are worried about cyberbullying, the first step is communication. Cyberbullying is a sensitive subject, and starting a conversation can be difficult.
Some of the signs that indicate a child is being cyberbullied include:
