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BitDefender study shows 95% of parents found children accessing Internet pornography

Survey reveals that while most respondents use parental controls, teenagers often succeed in uninstalling or unlocking this software.

BitDefender has announced the results of a new study that shows 95% of parents have noticed that their children had accessed Internet pornography, especially during homework time. According to the survey, the average age of a child starting to look for adult content sites is just over 11 years old.

The BitDefender study is based on interviews with 1570 parents from five different countries, focusing on their children’s Internet usage habits - and their own habits - especially those related to sexually explicit materials.

The study also found that while 97% of respondents used parental control software to block access to adult websites, 12% of the teenage sons or daughters succeeded in uninstalling or unlocking this software.

“One of the most interesting findings from this study is related to parental control -- even if the parents understood the necessity of such a piece of software and the need to monitor their teenagers’ activity on social networks and on the Internet, in general, children will always find a way to access adult content,” said Sabina Datcu, BitDefender e-threats analysis and communication specialist and author of the study. “BitDefender believes this sends a clear message to parents – it is more important than ever to take steps to protect children from exposure to sexually explicit materials found on the Internet.”

62% of adults admitted that they, themselves, had searched for and accessed adult content sites. Moreover, 87% said they would allow their children to look for sexually explicit materials if the children were 19 years old or older.

BitDefender’s Internet Security 2011 software includes parental control features to help monitor and control what websites children can visit.

More details on this survey can be found on Malwarecity.

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