It's not good news for parents.

Kaspersky Lab polled 1,000 children aged 10 to 15 and found that 42% of the 10 year-olds think they can hide their internet activity and circumvent their parents rules on safe surfing.

It gets worse as the children age. By the time they are 13, the percentage rises to 70%.

The poll also revealed that of the 10 year-olds, the online activity of 10% of them had not discussed their activity with a parent. Over half, 51%, owned their own tablet while 33% owned a smartphone.

Rules were easy to circumvent when they went to a friends house (27%). They admitted to viewing content containing bad language (42 percent), violent material (28 percent) and pornography (11 percent).

“At 10, many children appear mature and confident enough to handle internet-enabled devices, but parents seem to overlook their impulsive and often naïve nature. For young people exploring, experimenting and taking their first steps online today, it's vital parents take an active role to mentor them, discussing the risks, threats and dangers to define what constitutes safe, responsible behaviour online,” said David Emm, principal security researcher at Kaspersky Lab.

Source: SCMagazine