70% Of Teens Hide Their Online Activity From Parents

Sites include mcafee.com . Published on July 18th, 2012. Written by Anthony West.

When it comes to hiding stuff, teens are especially good at keeping things under wrap. That is a universal truth. Parents are constantly trying to find out what their teens are up to and it seems with the sophistication of technology the task is getting harder.

According to a report released by McAfee, 70% of teens hide their online behavior from their parents. This is a sharp spike up from the 45% recorded back in 2010. The big question is “what are these kids hiding?”

The study revealed that teens are hiding anything pornography to test answers for their school exams. 48.1% of teens admitted to using the internet to cheat on their assignments and test but what was surprising was the massive display of nonchalance on the part of parents regarding this. 77.2% of parents said they don’t care about their kids cheating in school. What they are worried about though is their teens’ exposure to porn—and there is where the trouble lies.

32% of teens admitted to accessing pornographic content online while only 12% of parents wanted to admit that their teens might be accessing porn. Teens also admitted to hacking the social media accounts of other teens and 31% reported stealing movies and music. Pretty sobering stuff; no wonder teens don’t want their parents to know what they get up to online.

Do you think teens need stricter monitoring online? Share your thoughts below.