Parents don't monitor kids online

Eight of out of 10 parents give their children unrestricted access to the web because they have not turned on parental controls on their computers.

According to a nationwide survey by McAfee, a security software firm, 72 per cent of parents worry about what their children are looking at online.

McAfee found that many children are accessing the internet from the privacy of their own bedrooms; almost a third of parents surveyed said their children use the internet while alone in their room.

The firm found that a quarter of all five- to seven-year-olds have their own computer, of which 17 per cent are allowed to browse the internet in their bedrooms.

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When it comes to monitoring and security, dads are more likely to lead the way than mums; 68 per cent of fathers compared to 53 per cent of mothers teach their kids about how to surf the web safely.

Fathers are also far more likely to take the role of IT manager in the household; nine out of ten dads said they look after PC security, while only six per cent rely on their partner.

Greg Day, security analyst at McAfee, said: "The growing popularity of social media and networks which have their own associated risks, as well as the increased sophistication in threats generally, children can be left ever-more exposed to unsuitable content."

Day said that the role of monitoring children's web activities should not be left to one parent and that children can teach parents a lot about the internet.

"Parents should also look to turn their children’s internet usage at home into a joint learning experience, where children teach parents about new online tools and trends and parents act as advisers," Day said.