According to McAfee’s 2013 Digital Deception: Exploring the Online Disconnect between Parents and Kids study, children are witnessing bullying online in great numbers and parents are not fully aware of the issues. These findings show that there is an opportunity for parents to get more involved and better ensure that their children live safe online during the school years.
Some of the study’s key findings include:
- Social media isn’t all fun and games – 89% of all youth (ages 10-23) surveyed say they witnessed mean behavior on Facebook and 40% on Twitter.
- Kids don’t outgrow bullying– 17% of children ages 10-12 say they have witnessed mean behavior directed at a classmate or friend online, but that number jumps to 34% for young adults ages 18-23.
- Parents don’t know the full extent of the problem – Only 9% of parents believe their child or children have witnessed cruel behavior online; even worse, only 6% think that their son or daughter has been a target of this cyber bullying, when in reality 13% of youth report they have been targeted online.
- Peer pressure spreads to the Internet – 4% of youth said they’ve been pressured into bullying someone online.
See more facts in the infographic below:
(Disclosure: Infographic and facts provided by McAfee. I was not compensated for posting this information but with younger siblings and young children of my own I feel this is important to share.)
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