MILLIONS of parents fear their children are more digitally literate than they are, as a survey reveals six in 10 have seen their safety controls bypassed. And four-fifths let their offspring browse unsupervised.
A poll of 2,000 people with children aged between seven and 17 found 40 per cent of these parents discovered their offspring had an advanced understanding of technology when they observed their own skills being outmatched.
This superior ability to navigate the digital world was a concern for 55 per cent of these parents.
Money being spent without them knowing (59 per cent), accessing inappropriate content (50 per cent) and speaking with strangers (37 per cent) ranked among the top worries.
In an attempt to keep up, 42 per cent were spending time learning how to use their devices, and 39 per cent were educating themselves as much as they couldabout online safety.
But despite these concerns, nearly one in four (23 per cent) did not bother with parental controls. One-quarter of those claimed to believe their child would just evade them anyway.
However, more than one-fifth (21 per cent) of this group admitted they simply did not know how to set them up properly.
The surevy was commissioned by Avast as part of a back-to-school campaign, which aims to educate parents in helping their children to navigate the internet safely.
The survey also found 83 per cent of children with access to the online world were allowed to use the internet unsupervised.
On average, age 10 was the point at which they had been allowed online without the watchful eye of a parent looking over their shoulder. But some as young as five were allowed to roam freely online.
Half of parents claimed they did not have enough time to constantly monitor their children, while two in three had had arguments with them about their activities.
