Parents rely on verbal agreements to keep kids safe online

84% take their kids words for it

27 September 2007 8:08 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

Parents are relying too heavily on their children doing as they are asked to keep them safe online according to new research from BroadbandChoices.co.uk.

Although clearly a marketing ploy, this survey does highlight some interesting kids-online stats.

84% of parents polled across the UK said that they rate verbal agreement with their children on safe internet usage as their number one means of monitoring online activity.

The research shows that the top four ways parents monitor their child's online activity are:

1. A verbal agreement to use the internet safely (84%)

2. The use of parental control software such as McAfee and Norton (63%)

3. Restricting the amount of time children spend online (62%)

4. Manually checking the computer to see what they have been doing online (59%)

The poll also asked children aged 11-16 what they had actually been doing online during the school holidays. The top three activities were:

1. Downloading music and photos (48%)

2. Joining in with chat rooms and making new friends online (45%)

3. Using social networking sites such as MySpace, Bebo and Facebook (40%)

BroadbandChoices.co.uk offers a free download monitor tool so you can at least keep an eye on downloads.