Study: South African children more susceptible to cyber-related crime
A recent study has revealed that South African children are the most vulnerable online.
According to Parent 24, a study on online usage by the World Economic Forum has yielded some scary results regarding children and cyber usage. These statistics place South Africa in the list of top 10 countries that are at risk, of the 29 countries that were surveyed.
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To put it into perspective, here are some of the results from the study:
- Children between the ages of 8 and 12 are the most vulnerable online
- 62% of children in that age group have been exposed to at least one cyber risk
- 55% of the children polled were victims of cyberbullying
- 11% had chatted with a stranger online
- 18% had engaged in online sexual behaviours
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Cybercrime relates to cyberbullying, sexual grooming, the sharing of sexual content and video game addiction
Crikey, these stats are insane! The internet is such a large and scary place but at the same time, we all rely so heavily on it, especially for school projects. So how can we possibly protect them from everything they may encounter?
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Fortunately, my kids are still young and the only entertainment they seek is an episode of their favourite cartoon or a spin on the game 'Panda Pop'.
However, friends of mine who have teenage kids tell me horror stories of what goes on online. One friend left her browser open in her office and returned to find her son surfing on a site for machine guns. Totally innocent being 5-years-old but how on earth did he get that far?!
What are some of the worst things you've found on your kid's internet search history and what are you doing to protect your children from the dangers of the internet? Share with me below: