More than nine in ten (95 percent) of parents are aware their children have accessed pornography on the web, usually during homework time, according to a new study.
The survey, from BitDefender, also found that 12% of children have even uninstalled parental control software to access explicit material.
A survey of 1,570 parents by the security firm revealed the average age of a child to start using the internet to search for adult content is 11 years, and 97 percent of the parents surveyed said they had installed parental controls software on a PC the child uses.
However, 12 percent admitted their child has successfully uninstalled or unlocked the software.
Furthermore, nearly two thirds (62 percent) of adults admitted they had searched for and accessed adult content on the web themselves, while 87 percent said they would allow children over 19 to surf the web for sexual content.
Commenting on the findings, Sabina Datcu, BitDefender E-Threats Analysis and Communication Specialist, said: “One of the most interesting findings from this study is related to parental control. Even if the parents understood the necessity of such a piece of software and the need to monitor their teenagers’ activity on social networks and on the internet in general, children will always find a way to access adult content.”
“BitDefender believes this sends a clear message to parents – it’s more important than ever to take steps to protect children from exposure to sexually explicit materials found on the internet.”
Source: www.bitdefender.co.uk