AVG’s global, multi-year, Digital Diaries research project has aimed to determine how the Internet is impacting children as they play, learn, and grow up in today’s digital world. Entitled “Digital Coming of Age,” the latest phase of the study surveyed 4,400 parents with 14-17 year olds in 11 countries.

To begin, findings show that 75 percent of American parents stay connected to their children on social networks, which is significantly more than parents in other countries. Across the globe, it’s less common for parents to be “friends” with their teens on Facebook to be able to monitor the activity teens permit them to see through their privacy settings. In fact, this number is as low as 10 percent in Japan and 33 percent in France.

"I'm convinced that parents need to communicate more with their teens about the digital coming of age. Even though most teens have intuitive online abilities, parents need to be setting limits, rules, and staying aware of what's going on,” said Rona Renner, RN, temperament specialist/parent educator and founder of Childhood Matters. "Safely navigating new technologies in the digital age is quickly becoming an important task in adolescent development. Successfully accomplishing this takes families working together to build a sense of safety, trust, and respect. AVG's Digital Diaries research and products help parents of teens as they find the right balance between hands on and hands off parenting."

Digital Coming of Age further reveals American parents are keeping tabs on their teens’ online activity. A majority of moms and dads actually give their children credit for doing the right thing and have minimal concerns about illegal, inappropriate and career-damaging behaviors, however they continue to monitor their teens in today’s connected age. The study revealed:

• Twenty percent suspect their children are accessing pornography or illegal music downloads; and 5 percent suspect their children of gambling.
• Twenty percent of American parents also suspect their teens of “sexting” via their mobile phones.
• Almost half of parents in the U.S. believe their teens conduct relationships with friends and family via their mobile phones, yet only 9 percent think these relationships are sexual.
• An overwhelming 80 percent of parents believe their teens have never met someone in person that they first met online.

“Is it spying or is it good parenting when parents closely monitor teens’ online activity?” asks Tony Anscombe, senior evangelist for AVG Technologies. “Parenting teens that have grown up alongside the Internet and with mobile phones in hand requires an entirely new set of rules and tactics. Our research reveals that while parents trust their teens to do the right thing, such as avoiding pornography on the Internet and “sexting,” they are still concerned about their children’s safety and how teens’ online behavior may affect their future careers.”

Forty percent of American parents worry the content their children post to Facebook and other social networks will affect their children’s job prospects down the road. Adding to this stress, less than 50 percent of American parents feel their child’s school is doing a good job preparing their students for the online world. They aren’t alone in their concerns. Digital Coming of Age found that nearly half of all parents around the globe felt that schools were not effective in teaching their teens to responsibly use the Internet.

"In a very short period of time we have seen amazing changes in the ways we communicate and gather information because of digital technologies. Cell phones, video games and the Internet blur boundaries and change rules. This of course affects families and especially families with teens between the ages of 14-17 who are coming of age with these digital tools,” said Jason Brand, licensed clinical social worker who focuses on the impact of technology on the social and emotional development of kids. “It's important for parents with older teens to have access to research and practical advice to help them adequately address their concerns. With good information about this rapidly changing area in teens’ lives; parents can know what to expect, understand what's normal and identify possible red flags."

“Our latest research will hopefully facilitate conversations with parents, educators and others around the most effective strategies to monitor youth activity and teach them how to express themselves safely and thoughtfully online,” Anscombe continued. “We’re all learning as we go. We can’t parent today like we were raised, because the Internet simply wasn’t available or as accessible when we were young.”

Other key findings from Digital Coming of Age include:

• UK parents are most likely to suspect teens of ‘sexting’ – nearly 25 percent of UK parents suspect their kids of sexting, compared with US (21%), Australia (22%), Spain (21%), Canada (20%), New Zealand (17%), Japan (15%), Italy (11%), France (10%), Czech Republic (13%) and Germany (9%).
• Spanish parents are (45%) most suspicious their teens are illegally downloading music – compared with parents in the US (19%), Czech Republic (35%), France (30%), UK (28%), Australia and New Zealand (27%).
• Just under half of parents surveyed are concerned their teens mobile photos are geo-tagged.
• Twenty percent of UK and US parents suspect their teens of accessing pornography on their PC – in comparison to over a quarter of Spanish parents.
• Twenty percent of UK and US parents have seen explicit or abusive messages on their children’s social networks – compared with over 25 percent of Australian and New Zealand parents.

About AVG “Digital Diaries” Campaign

The first stage of AVG’s Digital Diaries campaign, “Digital Birth,” focused on children from birth to age 2. The study, released in October 2010, found that on average infants acquire a digital identity by the age of 6-months-old. Nearly a quarter (23 percent) of children have had their pre-birth scans uploaded to the Internet by their parent – having a digital footprint even before birth. The second stage, “Digital Skills,” was released in January 2011 to show that for 2- to 5-year-olds ‘tech’ skills are increasingly replacing ‘life’ skills. In fact, many toddlers could use a mouse and play a computer game, but could not ride a bike, swim or tie their shoelaces. “Digital Playground,” released in June 2011, found nearly half of 6- to 9-year-olds talk to friends online and use social networks. This was followed with Digital Maturity in November 2011, which revealed how 11 year olds had adult skills in technology.

Research for all stages of the Digital Diaries series was conducted by Research Now on behalf of AVG Technologies.

For more information visit: www.avgdigitaldiaries.com

About AVG

www.avg.com
AVG’s mission is to simplify, optimize and secure the Internet experience, providing peace of mind to a connected world. AVG’s powerful yet easy-to-use software and online services put users in control of their Internet experience. By choosing AVG’s software and services, users become part of a trusted global community that benefits from inherent network effects, mutual protection and support. AVG has grown its user base to approximately 108 million active users as of December 31, 2011 and offers a product portfolio that targets the consumer and small business markets and includes Internet security, PC performance optimization, online backup, mobile security, identity protection and family safety software.

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Emily Shirden
Finn Partners for AVG
emilys@finnpartners.com
(312) 329-3979

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