Parents believe social media dangers for children outweigh benefits

Parents are more fearful of their children being on social media than any other online activity.

According to research carried out by the US non- profit Family Online Safety Institute, the use of social media is the only form of online activity where parents believe its dangers outweigh its benefits.

A total of 43% said the danger involved with their child having a social media account outweighed the benefits, while 31% felt the dangers and benefits were about equal. Just 26% felt their children were benefiting from having a social media profile.

However, despite concerns they may have about technologies, about 93% of parents believe their child is at least somewhat safe when he/she is online — though just 37% feel their child is very safe.

Almost all parents (94%) that took part in the survey said they have talked to their child about the potential benefits and dangers of the internet and their rules and expectations for their children. Two out of three went further and said this is a conversation they have with their children on a recurring basis.

Most parents also admitted to having reviewed their child’s browsing history and set rules on the amount of time they can spend online.

More than half (53%) of parents said they have used parental controls to prevent their child from having access to certain types of online content and nearly as many report using controls to turn off in-app purchases (47%).

Most parents (64%) expressed confidence in their ability to keep track of their child’s technology use, but those with younger children (73%) expressed greater confidence than parents of teens (58%). The top concerns for parents about their child’s online activity were exposure to inappropriate or harmful content (76% very or somewhat concerned); the child communicating with a stranger online (69%); a stranger learning about their child from online postings (67%); and the child providing too much personal information (67%).

A similar proportion of parents also expressed concern about their child spending too much time using electronic devices (67%) or too much time online (62%).

The report found that, despite the possible dangers of certain online activity, the majority of parents were “ambivalent” about the benefits versus the danger of their children having electronic devices and being online.

“The majority of parents feel that the benefits of electronic devices and being online outweigh the potential harms, but many are ambivalent about the benefits versus the harms. Very few think that the harms outweigh the benefits,” read the report.