The Growing Up Online survey recently reported that 43% of South African children have been exposed to violent content on the internet as the world succumbs to the rapid rise of digital media.

The survey sampled 10 000 people consisting of parent-child pairs across the Middle East, Türkiye and Africa (META) regions between 2023 and 2024.

As parents often worry about their children’s online safety, the survey found that parents believed that more than half of children have been either consciously (18%), or accidentally (35%) exposed to violent videos on the internet.

The report said 55% of children across the META regions indicated their real age on social media, and 20% pretended that they are older than their real age.

South Africa has the highest rate of children who hide their age online.

While 75% of local parents have complete control over their children’s online behaviour, 12% reported alarming situations where unknown adults tried to befriend their children online.

Furthermore, South Africa and Saudi Arabia (75%) scored the least parental control over children’s online behaviour compared to Egypt (81%), the United Arab Emirates (82%) and Türkiye (84%).

A concerning 6% of SA parents tend to get involved in their children’s digital life.

Head of Consumer Channel for META at Kaspersky, Seifallah Jedidi, recommended a combination of technical and non-technical measures to protect children from online threats.

Non-technical measures primarily include increasing digital literacy for both children and their parents, while technical measures assume using parental control programs.

These programmes allow parents to control screen time and track their children’s geolocation, including protecting them from consuming age-inappropriate content.

“When it comes to children's online safety, protection from inappropriate content plays a significant role. Our goal is to empower parents with the confidence that their children are safeguarded,” said Jedidi.

He urged for parents to stay informed about the latest threats in order to monitor their children’s online activities. This creates a safer online environment for children.

“It is crucial for parents to have open communication with their children about the potential risks they may encounter online and instil strong boundaries and guidelines to ensure their safety,” said Jedidi.

Parents should protect their children from downloading any malicious files during their gaming experience, by installing a trusted security solution on their device.

“With the right tools, parents can effectively safeguard their children against cyber threats in the digital space,” said Jedidi.

The Star

hope.mafu@inl.co.za