Most young Australians think their parents have no idea what they're up to on the internet, while some have faked profiles or blocked their search history to avoid scrutiny, new research shows.
Sylvia Varnham O'Regan speaks with QUT's Professor Axel Bruns:
Seventy per cent of children aged between 8 and 17 said their parents didn't know about all their web activities, according to a survey involving 1000 youngsters conducted by cyber security firm McAfee and published by Fairfax Media.
The same proportion revealed having tried to hide what they did online.
Nearly half said they cleared their browser or used private browsing, while a third admitted hiding or deleting files.
The survey found about one in 10 kids created fake social media accounts to fool their parents.
McAfee chief technology officer Sean Duca has told The Sydney Morning Herald too many parents falsely believe themselves to be the technology leaders in their family when it's actually their sons and daughters who are ahead of the game.
The top online fear for 8- to 12-year-olds was cyberbullying, the poll found. Teens were more concerned about their computers being hacked, having their privacy breached or losing data.
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