Teens deceiving parents on Internet use, McAfee survey finds

As teenagers gain competence online, they become increasingly deceptive about their Internet behavior, according to a survey by the security technology firm.

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Agence France-Presse

Mon, Jun 25 2012 at 4:35 PM

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Teenagers are increasingly deceiving their parents about where they go and what they do online, security technology firm McAfee said in its latest survey on young people and the Internet.

In a statement, McAfee said nearly half of the American parents it surveyed thought their adolescents told them everything they did online, and that they felt in control when monitoring their youngsters' online conduct.

"However, the study reveals that teens deceiving their parents are on the rise, as over 70 percent of teens have found ways to avoid parental monitoring," it said.

That compares to 2010 when 45 percent of teens said they had hidden their online behavior from a parent, said McAfee, which bundles parental controls into its anti-virus software programs for home use.

Clearing the history of an Internet browser, or closing or minimizing a browser when a parent walked into the room, were the most popular ways of fooling mom and dad, McAfee said.

Others included hiding or deleting instant messages or videos, lying or omitting details about online activities, using a computer that parents don't check, and using an Internet-enabled mobile device such as a smartphone.

"This is a generation that is so comfortable with technology that they are surpassing their parents in understanding and getting away with behaviors that are putting their safety at risk," said McAfee online safety expert Stanley Holditch in the statement.

McAfee went online itself to interview 1,004 young people aged 13 to 17, and 1,013 parents of teenagers, in the United States between May 4 and May 29. The overall margin of error was 2.2 percentage points.

The survey also indicated that 43 percent of teenagers had accessed simulated violence online, 36 percent sexual topics online, and 32 percent nude content or pornography online, "despite their awareness of online dangers."

It also found that 15 percent of teens had hacked a social network account, 16 percent acknowledged looking up school test answers on their smartphones, and 20 percent ended friendships as a result of a social network account.

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Comments: 2

marlinpage Jul 03 2012 at 9:49 PM

The most troubling part of this survey is that 23% of parents have thrown up their hands and are just "hoping" for the best. Online predators and cyber bullies aren't giving up, and neither can we. As a former Technology Executive and Internet Safety Expert, I truly understand a parent's frustration with all of the technical jargon and smoke screens, however giving up cannot be an option. There is No Excuse! There are practical things we can do to keep our children safe online without a

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bunch of tech talk that really means nothing! It's about our children..period. Non-Technical Tip #1: Communicate, Communicate, Communicate.

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chrism Jun 26 2012 at 6:45 PM

This is much like a recent article in PC Magazine yesterday about teens hiding online activities from their parents. Not a problem in my house. We use iHomeDefender by IronGate Security Networks to solve this problem... Allows me to set the time my daughter spends on Facebook, and lets me decide which sites are inappropriate. Best part, I get a weekly emailed report of where she's been, apps she's using, etc. Doesn't matter if she uses her PC or iPod touch... works the same on any wireless device

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at home. Having it has totally reduced the yelling at night for getting off the Internet. Her Internet connection goes off at 10:00 p.m. and I don't have to do a thing! I'm not "spying" on her... I'm just setting appropriate and reasonable boundaries around content and time. And, IMHO, setting reasonable boundaries are exactly the things parents should be doing, especially when it pertains to the Internet and social media.

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