Childs exposure to inappropriate online content worries the UAE Parents reveals YouGov research
More than three-quarters of parents in the UAE (78%) are stressed over their childs exposure to inappropriate online content, new YouGov research uncovers. Besides, more than nine in ten (92%) concur with the statement Inappropriate online content can influence a childs mental health.
YouGovs new research looks into parents concerns over their childrens digital habits and reveals steps taken by them to monitor their activities. At present, more than nine in ten UAE parents (93%) said their children use the Internet. Not surprisingly, parents of older children, where the youngest was 10 or older, were much more likely to say their children use the internet very often (79%); this compares to only 39% amongst parents with children of 5 or under. Although consumption is higher among families with children 10+, their parents are less likely to check their online history very often (30%) as compared to parents of children 5 and under, of whom half (54%) said they check their childs online history very often.
Exposure to improper imagery is the main concern of parents in the UAE in association with their childs digital habits, with 71% expressing this as a matter of concern. This is trailed by communication with strangers (65%), online bullying (62%) and exposure to dangerous games (61%). The vast majority of these concerns are prominent for parents whose children are more than 5 years old, particularly those with children over 10. We see a higher concern with online bullying among parents whose youngest children are aged between 6 and 10, with seven in ten (70%) of these parents saying this is concerning to them. On the other hand, interaction with strangers (75%), illegal downloading (60%) and risk to reputation on account of content posted by their child (43%) are more worrisome to parents of older children as compared to their younger counterparts.
So as to manage with these concerns, parents find a way to screen their childs online habits. More than half (53%) restrict their childs internet access time and slightly lower than that (47%) try gaining an insight into their childs online interests by speaking to them regularly. However, there are some parents (18%) who do not take any steps in this regard.
YouGov research demonstrates that despite the fact that parents of 10+ year olds have high concerns over their childrens web utilization, they appear to have less control in place over what they are doing online. From the list of options to monitor childrens internet activities, these parents are less likely than parents of younger children to take almost all these steps in order to keep check. This is particularly valid for measures such as installing parental control software and denying access to personal cell phones, where the figures are 17% and 20%, respectively. On the contrary, even though internet usage is lowest among children who are 5 and under, their parents seem to have more control and are more likely to take actions in order to check their concerns.
